In the observation stands, the demigods had already begun their discussions.
"Facing four at once without losing ground, even for a short time..." Tortolla the Turtle demigod said slowly, "is a feat that surpasses the vast majority of Wild Gods—even if our four brothers haven't tapped into their primal origin powers yet."
"The key is the massive advantage brought by his size," Aviana the Avian Goddess analyzed. "With a 300-meter dragon frame, every single movement covers nearly half the battlefield. And have you noticed? His energy recovery speed is staggering. An outburst of that scale would have exhausted any of us, yet his aura has barely weakened."
Malorne the White Stag looked at Cenarius. "My son, the Life Origin Azeroth bestowed upon him is likely more abundant than any of our own."
Cenarius nodded with pride. "Father, Rhodes's life-tier is indeed above ours. Azeroth's expectations for him... are extraordinary."
The most striking reaction came from Ysera, the Dreamer. The Guardian of the Emerald Dream stared fixedly at the magnificent gold-green dragon in the arena, her emerald eyes shimmering with a peculiar light. She even took a few unconscious steps forward.
Cenarius felt a twinge of worry. He understood the nature of the Dragonflights. Unlike mortals, Dragon Aspects—whether male or female—often had many consorts and were deeply invested in one thing: producing superior draconic bloodlines to bolster their flights.
Ordinary dragons found it extremely difficult to produce offspring; the heavy burden of procreation usually fell on the Aspects. In the five Great Dragonflights, over 70% of the members were directly related to their Aspect—sons, daughters, or grandchildren.
His disciple, Rhodes, undoubtedly possessed a pure draconic essence. More importantly, he possessed Life energy and a life-tier that was perhaps even higher than Ysera's. If Rhodes and the Dreamer were to produce an heir, that child would be born at a Dragon Aspect level. Though the cost for Ysera to gestate such a child would be immense, it would be invaluable to the Green Dragonflight.
For Cenarius, however, this was awkward. One was his foster mother, the other his disciple—how was he even supposed to calculate that family tree? Rhodes, meanwhile, was still blissfully unaware that he had been "marked" by a certain Green Dragon.
On the battlefield, Rhodes felt the power surging within him. He raised his head and unleashed an even louder roar. Through this exchange, his mastery over his new body was rapidly improving.
"Good grief..." Agamaggan panted, several of his longest back-spikes broken. "That strength, that combat intuition... you really just became a demigod?"
Goldrinn licked a wound on his forepaw, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Exhilarating! I haven't faced an opponent like this in a long time!"
"Rhodes, you are truly powerful, far beyond our imagination," the Bear brothers added.
"Gentlemen, the warm-up should be over, right?" Rhodes's voice thundered across the plains. "Next, let me see the true power of Wild Gods—it's time you all got serious, isn't it?"
Agamaggan bared his tusks, blood-red battle runes appearing across his body. "As you wish, new brother!"
Goldrinn howled, his silver-grey form beginning to turn ethereal under the moonlight, as if merging into the shadows. Ursoc and Ursol stood tall, slamming their paws against their chests as brownish light surged from the depths of the earth to cover them. These four were manifesting their primal origin powers—moves usually reserved for life-or-death struggles. They refused to be looked down upon by their new brother.
Just as the five were about to collide—
"Enough."
A majestic female voice rang out. It was Ysera. "There is no need to continue this battle. Agamaggan, Goldrinn, Ursoc, Ursol—you have already proven our new brother's strength. A battle using primal origin powers is a loss for Azeroth, regardless of who gets hurt."
"Queen Ysera is right," the massive stag Malorne added, stepping forward. "Our new brother has proven himself, and the four of you have fought enough. You know the consequences of exhausting your origins."
Agamaggan fell silent for a moment, then shook his head as the red runes faded. "Tsk... the Queen is right. If we truly fought to the death, even if the four of us won, at least two of us would be bedridden for a long time."
"Or all four of us would be down," Ursoc noted. "I feel that Brother Rhodes has even greater power he hasn't used. He only used enhancement spells on himself; he likely has much more in reserve. He hasn't shown us his full strength yet."
Goldrinn remanifested. "The new brother is indeed qualified to stand among us. The matter is settled; we yield."
"Ysera is right," Cenarius said. "Wild Gods may spar, but we should not engage in mortal combat. Rhodes's strength has been fully demonstrated—to face four at once and force them to use their origins is the best proof possible. Child, release your form. This battle has served its purpose."
Rhodes nodded and took a deep breath. The gold-green light retracted, and the 300-meter dragon body gradually shrank. A moment later, Rhodes was back in his human form, landing on the ground. The battle between the five demigods had completely reshaped the local terrain; the movements of hundred-meter-tall behemoths were simply too destructive.
"Gentlemen, thank you for the lesson," Rhodes said, performing a fist-and-palm salute—an etiquette from his homeland. "Fighting you has given me a deeper understanding of my new power."
Agamaggan laughed, shaking the earth. "We should be the ones thanking you! It's been ages since I've had such a blast! New brother, come find me in the Brambleclaws of northern Ashenvale for a drink sometime—though you probably can't outdrink me!"
"You are always welcome for a challenge in the wild," Goldrinn said. "But next time... I will be more serious."
The Bear brothers were even more direct: "Rhodes, come visit the Furbolg territories in southern Ashenvale. We have the best honey in all of Kalimdor. You'll love it."
The other demigods gathered around, congratulating Rhodes and officially recognizing him as their brother, inviting him to their respective domains. Aviana fluttered down, inspecting him curiously. "Incredible... a life form created by Azeroth herself is truly extraordinary. Where are your wings? A dragon form like that should have wings, shouldn't it?"
Rhodes smiled. "That form can fly, but not through physical wings. It relies on the resonance between life energy and the wind elements."
Eastern dragons don't need wings to fly. Just look at the Cloud Serpents—do they need wings?
"Intriguing," Aviana mused. "Perhaps we can exchange flying techniques."
The four Celestials of Pandaria also approached, inviting Rhodes to visit the lands of the Pandaren when he had time. After exchanging blessings, the other demigods departed, leaving only Cenarius, Malorne, and Ysera.
As they returned to Cenarius's grove, Ysera descended from the sky and shifted into her Night Elf form—which was breathtakingly beautiful. Her emerald gown fluttered in the breeze as she walked directly up to Rhodes, stopping well within his personal space.
Cenarius instinctively moved to step in, but Malorne caught his eye and shook his head, signaling his foster son not to interfere. He knew exactly what his old friend was up to. It would be a good thing for Rhodes's bloodline to be passed down. There were very few female demigods in Azeroth capable of bearing Rhodes's children; only the Green and Red Dragon Queens had that kind of power. Other female demigods were simply of the wrong species.
The burden on the Dragonflights was heavy. If the Wild Gods could lend a small hand, Malorne saw no harm in it. Cenarius sighed. His foster mother was being quite eager, but his father was right: after being infused with the Life Origin, ordinary mortals could no longer bear Rhodes's children. Their life-tiers were no longer on the same level. Even if an accidental offspring occurred, they wouldn't inherit the father's full strength—much like his own descendants.
"Great Queen Ysera, is there something I can help you with?" Seeing her almost leaning against him, Rhodes instinctively took a step back. Whoa, why does she look like she wants to eat me?
Rhodes glanced around; at some point, Cenarius and his father had vanished.
"Rhodes, your bloodline... is very special," Ysera began. "It has the ancient origin of the Progenitor Dragons and the potential to surpass current evolutionary paths. More importantly, your connection to the Dream is deeper than any green dragon's—even I cannot enter the heart of the Dream as freely as you."
"You flatter me, Queen Ysera. I was merely lucky to receive Azeroth's gift."
"Rhodes, are you willing to establish a deeper connection with the Green Dragonflight?"
Rhodes didn't catch her meaning at first. "A deeper connection? In what sense?"
"A bond of blood," Ysera said bluntly. "Your draconic origin is precious. If it were combined with the bloodline of the green dragons—perhaps a new generation of Dream Guardians could be born, ones that might even surpass the level of the current Aspects."