"....." Axis was speechless.
Was this some kind of joke? He had just woken up and barely opened his eyes, and the very first task given to him was to eliminate a Primarch, no less, the mysterious Second Primarch!
Axis could feel the strength in his new body, but right now, even just standing up was a struggle.
His mind seemed completely out of sync with his body.
Even though he had stayed conscious in the virtual space all these years, constantly learning new knowledge, in the real world, his physical body had been truly asleep for a full twenty-four years.
He realized it would take a period of recovery and physical training just to get used to this body and regain full mobility.
"Emperor, shouldn't we discuss this a bit more?" Malcador, standing nearby, coughed lightly and spoke up.
Axis had only just awoken, and the Emperor was already assigning him such a daunting mission.
Malcador found it a bit inappropriate.
But he also understood.
The Emperor was obviously in a foul mood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a decision without consulting him first.
Ferron Aurelion had truly angered the Emperor, pushing the Master of Mankind to rage.
"Emperor, aren't the Primarchs your sons? Why do you want to kill your own son?" Axis finally asked.
This time, Axis's voice was no longer that of a child, but deep and powerful, the voice of a grown man.
"The Second Primarch has already betrayed the Imperium, betrayed humanity itself. That is why he must be destroyed. This is your first mission, and I want you to accomplish it flawlessly.
"As a Custodian, you are to obey orders, not question them," the Emperor replied.
He had his reasons for sending Axis.
This was the perfect opportunity to test Axis's combat strength.
By his calculations, after the enhancements, Axis's potential had increased massively, and his lifespan had now reached Primarch level.
Besides all the additional superhuman organs, Axis now possessed exceptional durability and blinding speed.
Even more importantly, his combat power had soared, at least twenty times what it was before!
With his mastery of that power called "Ki," killing a Primarch who had not yet awakened his Warp essence would be effortless.
This fight would have no suspense at all.
Still, Axis found it strange.
In the original timeline, the disappearance of the Second and Eleventh Primarchs was always vaguely pinned by the fandom on his old man, the Wolf King.
So now, instead of sending his old man to handle it, the Emperor was sending him?
"If it's the Emperor's order, I will comply," Axis replied.
He had actually wanted to ask why he wasn't being sent back to the Space Wolves.
Years ago, Russ and the Emperor had agreed: once his enhancements were complete, Axis would join Russ's Legion for the Great Crusade.
Yet now, he was being ordered to eliminate the Second Primarch.
What kind of situation was this?
But after thinking it over, Axis decided not to bring it up, at least not while the Emperor was in this kind of mood.
Some things were better left unsaid.
"This mission and everything you do during it will not be recorded; it's a secret assignment of the Custodes," the Emperor said.
Axis nodded to show he understood.
"Emperor, Axis has only just woken up. He still needs to get used to his new body. I'm afraid there isn't enough time," Malcador said.
"I'm giving Axis a month to adapt to his body. It will take two months of warp travel to reach the target planet from Holy Terra. He can use the voyage to finish acclimating. There's plenty of time," the Emperor replied.
He had already calculated everything.
Three months would be enough for Axis to reach the Second Primarch.
"Who's going with me on this mission? Will I have other Custodes companions?" Axis asked.
"No. I will assign you a special Imperial vessel to take you there, but you will be the only combatant aboard.
"You are to eliminate the Second Primarch yourself, and you must also wipe out all of his Astartes as well," the Emperor said.
"....." Axis was left speechless.
'Golden boy, you sure think highly of me.'
He didn't even know his current power level yet.
If he could break ten thousand, maybe this job wouldn't be so bad.
He wondered what mistake the Second Primarch had made, that the order was not just to eliminate him, but his entire legion as well!
"Malcador will explain your mission in detail. Be ready to depart in one month!" The Emperor said no more, turning to leave the lab without further explanation.
Axis could clearly sense how unusually stern, even cold, the Emperor was today.
"Teacher, the Emperor's acting a bit strange today," Axis turned and said to his teacher, Malcador.
"He isn't in the best good. The matter of the Second Primarch has dealt him a very heavy blow," Malcador replied.
Primarchs had a fifty percent chance of betraying the Emperor; in theory, out of twenty Primarchs, ten might eventually turn against him, or even more.
The Emperor had mentally prepared himself, but he didn't expect the day to come so soon, or that it would happen for reasons other than the corrupting influence of the Warp.
This time, it was the unique abilities of another xenos race that had driven the Emperor into such a foul mood.
"Teacher, what exactly happened with the Second Primarch? Why did he betray the Imperium?" Axis asked.
"It all started with the Rangda Xenos. These beings possess a kind of psychic mind-control ability. They used it to forcibly take control of the Second Primarch, making him follow their orders, and even took control of many of his Space Marines as well," Malcador explained.
"If that's the case, can't I just capture the Second Primarch alive and break their mind control?" Axis suggested.
"It's not that simple. The Imperium has been at war with the Rangda for a year now.
"During that time, we did manage to rescue some human warriors who'd fallen under their influence, but we found their methods were even more terrifying than the Butcher's Nails.
"Once you're under their control, escape is impossible, death is the only way out.
"If there had been any hope for the Second Primarch, the Emperor would never have ordered his destruction," Malcador said.
"I understand that the Second Primarch has betrayed the Emperor, but do all his legion have to be wiped out as well?" Axis asked.
He could follow the Emperor's order, but he didn't want to be a mindless executioner.
He had planned to join the Wolves, where everyone was a butcher together. Doing this alone just didn't feel right.
"Axis, there are some things you're better off not knowing," Malcador sighed.
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