Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire-Chapter 962 - 528: Selfless Warriors, the Azure Dragon-man Class (Part 2)

They do not recognize themselves as warriors, nor do they consider it honorable to protect those who share similar appearances with them but who are exceptionally fragile, crying out at minor injuries, becoming disabled with the loss of a limb, and unable to regenerate—such fragile creatures of flesh and blood are not considered as their own kin. They also do not see any honor in sheltering them.

A significant portion of the newly born Azure Dragon-men are filled with disdain or even hostility towards the original elves because many of the original elves naturally believe that Dragon Tree Warriors should protect them.

This is because Dragon Tree Warriors initially chose to accept the Dragon Tree's blessing voluntarily and pledged to protect the tribe and kin.

They obtained a nearly undying body and possessed the strength to fight against demons of equivalent power, moreover, they could adapt to extremely harsh environments outside. With so many transcendent characteristics, if they do not fight demons, who else should?

Such heavy responsibility and duty are undoubtedly burdens that the newly born group, who have lost their memories and believe themselves to be Azure Dragon-men, are unwilling to bear. They only wish to hunt demons for the growth of the Mother Tree, which also brings them rewards.

But protecting those weak kin, who have a strong sense of entitlement but are extremely weak in strength, does not bring them any reward.

Their sense of entitlement is enough for any Azure Dragon-man to regard promises and honor as worthless rags, even though not all original elves are shameless, even a small fraction is enough.

"No, Lord Ilya, please, spare him, he spoke out of turn, please forgive him!"

At this moment, Thorne, who was lost in thought, heard the unusual commotion coming from afar, and when he regained consciousness, his expression changed.

"Pitiful worm, who gave you the courage to speak to me so insolently? Have you not recognized your position?"

A cold voice filled with mockery resounded, and then the voice spread beneath the Dragon Tree,

"You are nothing but parasites."

Thorne's expression changed drastically.

Ilya is the leader born among the Azure Dragon-men of the Dragon Tree Warriors, and she has an even more special identity—she is the daughter of the Great Elder.

As the daughter of the tribe elder, when the banyan tree first descended, Ilya led by example and was among the first to accept the Dragon Tree's blessing as a warrior, fighting to protect the tribe.

But in increasingly fierce battles, during a fight with a Demon Army, this brave Sword Dancer was unfortunately beheaded by a Balrog Demon.

Due to the Dragon Tree's blessing, this brave female warrior did not perish; her head grew back, but the elder's daughter, who lost her memory, completely became a different entity.

Although she still acknowledged her blood relationship with her father, she did not acknowledge the tribe her father desperately protected, nor did she feel she should sacrifice for these fragile beings.

She is the most extreme presence among the Azure Dragon-men; she believes that the original elves are mere parasites relying on the Dragon Tree, always demanding from the Dragon Tree, seeking shelter from the Azure Dragon-men.

She believes original elves should not be in a protected position; they should be slaves and laborers, serving the Azure Dragon-men, at their command.

Because of such extreme beliefs and thoughts, Ilya naturally became the leader of the Azure Dragon-men.

Of course, it is also because her strength ranks first among the Azure Dragon-men groups, more importantly, she has a father with a legendary level among original elves.

As expected, such extreme remarks immediately aroused turmoil in the village rebuilt around the Dragon Tree, and in this wasteland, surviving original elves emerged from their tree houses, looking with anxiety and unease at the Dragon Tree Warriors' leader Ilya who made extreme remarks.

The vast majority of original elves only want a peaceful and serene life, and do not want to be involved in battles, drawn into inexplicable disputes.

If they truly wanted to fight, they would have chosen to accept the Dragon Tree's blessing, along with the bravest of their kin, rather than continuing to retain their fragile Wood Elf bodies.

"Ilya!"

Hearing his daughter make such divisive remarks about the tribe, the Great Elder as the tribe leader frowned and rebuked.

"Father!"

"You have forgotten the vow you made, have you also forgotten your own birth, forgotten your race? How can you regard your kin as parasites?"

"I am not targeting all elves, but some clearly in receiving shelter, accepting favor, enjoying the fruits without contributing, are rightfully parasites.

What have they contributed? Yet with a sense of entitlement they shamelessly enjoy the fruits of our battles.

Why should they? Just because they are supposedly kin, they feel free to enjoy the fruits without even a word of thanks?"

"Ilya, apologize! Apologize to all the kin harmed by your words!"

The Great Elder, whose appearance shows no sign of aging despite nearing a millennium, spoke sternly.

"I merely pointed out the facts, yet you demand I apologize, why? These insects should kneel and apologize to me!"

Even in the face of her father, Ilya was confrontational and uncompromising.

Lying on the ground, Thorne couldn't help but cover his eyes; though he could only see the sky, he could construct enough imagery in his mind through his other senses.

A father will of course not make life difficult for his daughter, but as an elder, he must protect his kin. Ilya, despite her stubbornness and unwillingness to yield after making extreme remarks, was eventually detained by her father, which further intensified the conflict.

A powerful warrior cannot stay in a cell indefinitely; it's a great wastage of combat power. Thus, merely three days later, Ilya returned, but this time she did not articulate any extreme opinions, instead opting to prove through actions.

This Azure Dragon leader, with her followers, began seeking out survivors in the wasteland who remained since the demons ravaged and brought them back to the tribe. However, as the price of shelter, these survivors all became slaves.

In such an era, even being a slave, as long as one can live and have food to eat, is considered lucky; many yearned for it, with barely any resistance and some even volunteered to become slaves.

Under such circumstances, within merely a dozen days, the Elf Tribe essentially split. The Symbiotic Warriors blessed by the Dragon Tree virtually divided into two factions.

One faction is a devotion faction willing to protect original elves; the other is the self-seeking Azure Dragon-men prioritizing their desires.

Although by sheer number comparison, only those Dragon Tree Warriors sustaining severe head injuries might become Azure Dragon-men, under actual conditions, even those Dragon Tree Warriors who have not lost memory gradually lean towards becoming Azure Dragon-men; after all, a creature's instinct is selfishness.

Compared to selfless devotion, exploitation and indulging clearly allure more, stimulate desires, and such order appears more sensible in an apocalypse. What qualification does the incapable have to enjoy resources? 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Thus, amidst such polar differences, many original elves, pursuing pure bloodline and maintaining tribal heritage—chose to accept the Dragon Tree's blessing, turning themselves into monsters with undying bodies.

A survivorship entity delineated by power and violence, enforcing slavery emerged upon the wasteland. It expanded at an astonishing pace, and while elves require the Dragon Tree's protection, the Dragon Tree can shelter and assimilate more than just elves.