Twenty-five years. It would take a full 25 years to undergo the Custodes' transformation, a period considered the shortest and fastest possible outcome.
In the Dragon Ball world, Axis was confident that in 25 years, he could reach at least the level of Super Saiyan 1, maybe even full-power Super Saiyan 1.
Super Saiyan 2 didn't seem entirely out of reach either.
Axis wasn't particularly gifted.
He was a low-class warrior, with an initial power level of only 6 at birth.
After spending just a few months in an incubation pod, he was sent off to low-level planets to carry out missions.
Only thanks to having an adult's soul, combined with the acquired advantages of a transmigrator and some postnatal effort, had he managed to raise his power level above 150, successfully complete his mission, and return to Planet Vegeta.
When it came to raw talent, he was far inferior to the likes of Nappa or Raditz. And comparing himself to the protagonist? That guy's the main character for a reason!
After arriving in the Warhammer universe, Axis wondered if he might never be able to achieve Super Saiyan in his entire life if he followed his original.
Back in the Dragon Ball world, Axis could play it safe, find a planet to quietly cultivate, slowly increase his S-Cells, and attempt the Super Saiyan transformation.
He could even seek out treasures through the Dragon Balls, the Fruit of the Tree of Might, the Great Elder on Namek, or the Elder Kai's potential unlock, all things that could raise his latent potential.
But the Warhammer universe doesn't offer the chance to calmly train, or slowly build up S-Cells.
Endless, unceasing war awaited.
Even Space Marines, whose lifespans far surpass ordinary mortals and theoretically reach over a thousand years, how many actually lived that long?
Three or four hundred years was already pushing it; some didn't even make it past a hundred or two.
Especially during the Great Crusade era! The average age at which a Space Marine fell in battle wasn't even 100.
So in the Warhammer universe, if Axis wanted to get stronger, he must undergo enhancement and modification.
The Custodes represented a complete genetic overhaul.
Axis had a theory: Saiyan strength is related to the S-Cells within their bodies.
If he could undergo the Custodes' full genetic enhancement, would it dramatically increase the number of S-Cells in his body, maybe even trigger a reversion in his Saiyan bloodline, or spark a whole new evolutionary stage?
He considered Broly from the old and new movies, one the Legendary Super Saiyan, the other born able to use the power of the Great Ape.
Both were essentially examples of atavism, a return to an ancestral form.
If he could undergo the Custodes' genetic modification, achieving full-scale Saiyan bloodline enhancement…
Ordinary humans became so powerful after the Custodes' procedure. So what would happen to a Saiyan?
Axis felt he might have a chance to become the Legendary Super Saiyan.
Not just a normal Super Saiyan, but the Legendary Super Saiyan!
This is the true form of the Super Saiyan: an unparalleled, berserk warrior with incomparably terrifying strength.
And the Custodes' enhancements could potentialy grant him a calm mind, a body even more formidable than the Legendary Super Saiyan, greater stamina, faster reflexes, and even stronger regenerative abilities.
He'd also reach a height of three meters, even more imposing than the classic Broly after transforming.
So these 25 years would be worth it! Besides, after being enhanced into a Custodian, his lifespan would start at several thousand years, far surpassing the hundred-year lives of Saiyans.
Axis nodded, gave the Emperor a respectful bow, and then turned to leave with Russ.
Tomorrow, he would have to part ways with his foster father.
Back in their quarters, Axis and Russ sat facing each other in silence.
After a long pause, Russ finally broke the awkward silence. "Do your best, kid! Twenty-five years from now, I'll be waiting for you in the Legion. By then, you'd better be strong enough to surpass me."
"Of course! Beating you isn't a big deal. Give me a few years and I'll have you handled," Axis shot back.
"Hah, you arrogant brat. Have you forgotten how I put you in your place when you transformed into a Great Ape?"
"Please, if I hadn't told you my weak spot was my tail, you'd have been pounded into a meat pie by now."
"Tch! If I hadn't held back out of pity for you, little pup, I could've smashed you even in your Great Ape form with my bare fists."
"Hahaha! Not a chance. When I transform into a Great Ape, my power level multiplies by ten! It shot up to 4,000 back then," Axis grinned.
His base power level was 400 then, and after transforming, it jumped to 4,000.
With the Great Ape's wild power and crazy defense, it would've taken at least 6,000 power to take him down.
Saiyans are undefeated among their peers!
Axis thought back to that day. His Great Ape rampage had devastated everything for miles around.
When he finally regained consciousness, Russ was lying next to him, totally exhausted and covered in blood.
That fight had been nowhere near as easy as Russ claimed.
Axis knew that as a Great Ape, he'd nearly finished off Russ.
"But you had no rationality, just a beast's instincts. I'm good at dealing with beasts, kid. Even if I didn't cut off your tail, I still could've taken you," Russ replied.
"Heh."
The mood in the room softened.
The two spent the evening reminiscing…eating contests, hunting competitions, and more.
"My little wolf cub, when you return to the Space Wolves, I'll throw a special celebration for you. After you leave, I'll personally brew a fine barrel of Fenrisian mead and seal it away. The day you return, we'll open it together and drink to our hearts' content," Russ said.
According to Fenrisian custom, Axis should've waited until he turned sixteen to have his first taste of mead, a rite of passage given by Russ himself.
But Russ decided to change tradition, he'd brew a special batch and save it for the day his little wolf cub came home.
"One barrel might not be enough! You'd better make at least a hundred, you know how much I can put away," Axis joked.
"Pfft! Hahaha! All right, I'll make it two hundred barrels!" Russ laughed.
Father and son spent a wonderful night together.
The next day, the Emperor gifted Leman Russ a Gloriana-class battleship, along with a dozen or so destroyers, battle barges, and escort ships.
He also entrusted him with tens of thousands of Space Wolves from the Sixth Legion, a large contingent of Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-priests, and countless mortal Imperial auxiliaries.
Afterward, the Emperor took Axis aboard the Imperator Somnium.
The Warp-Drive engines roared to life, and the Imperator Somnium entered the Immaterium, setting course for Holy Terra.