Boris was extremely melancholy.
From the beginning, he knew that he was not as good as Toji Hisami in terms of territory construction and development.
In terms of knowledge and ability, he was not as good as Toji Hisami either. After all, this was the person who had broken the record of nine levels in the Hall of Knowledge.
However, he had thought that he was not someone meant to take that path in the first place.
He was born a general, having practiced martial arts since childhood and worked hard to temper his body.
As long as his territory construction reached the fifth level and he chose the path of extraordinary power, his potential could be gradually unleashed.
That version of himself would become a general that no ordinary lord could obtain.
Then, he discovered that his individual attributes might not be as good as Toji Hisami’s.
Next, he found that his fighting ability was not as good as Toji Hisami’s either.
And now, the silver-white unicorn!
This auspicious beast carried Toji Hisami around the valley as lightning burst forth continuously, sweeping away all the corruption.
The orcs and gargoyles, already exhausted from the fighting and left with minimal health, died instantly.
The scene that was originally expected to last for several hours concluded in just half an hour.
Boris and the other lords had long since opened their eyes, witnessing the entire scene of Toji Hisami clearing the valley.
When he returned riding the silver unicorn, everyone knelt down on one knee and saluted solemnly.
Toji Hisami dismounted and patted the beast’s head.
"I have obtained the alliance stone and can form a real guild alliance."
"If you truly wish to follow me, you can go back and prepare to relocate your territories."
"To ensure safety, I will have my guards and Boris protect you."
Toji Hisami smiled and asked everyone to sit down, taking a seat opposite them as well.
The news of the Alliance Stone made everyone overjoyed.
At this time, twelve lords remained behind to follow Toji Hisami.
Their territories were not far from the valley, no more than a hundred miles away, which was why they had been able to reach the location so quickly.
With the protection of Boris and Lyra, their safety could be guaranteed when returning to migrate their territories.
Under Toji Hisami’s leadership and with the establishment of what might be the first true alliance in the region, it was conceivable that their confidence in clearing the trial would be greatly increased.
Seeing everyone’s delighted expressions, Toji Hisami shared his speculations regarding the situation outside the valley.
In order to meet any potential accidents in peak condition, he urged everyone to continue resting and recovering.
The lords excitedly found places to rest.
The energetic Boris was assigned by Toji Hisami to clean up the battlefield.
In the fierce fighting within the valley, the fallen human lords, orcs, and gargoyles had actually dropped items that could be looted.
The heart of an orc could be dried and ground into powder, making it a key raw material for alchemy potions.
The core of a gargoyle was a support item that could be used to craft equipment.
There were even the stone tablet general and the orc commander. Following the deaths of these two boss-level enemies, precious materials dropped that could be harvested.
All in all, the harvest this time was massive.
As for these items, Toji Hisami planned to distribute them equally among the lords.
He could not let these people come all this way for nothing.
Regardless of their initial reasons for entering the valley, remaining by his side until now had proven their loyalty.
When dealing with such followers, Toji Hisami had always been generous with his rewards.
At this time, outside the valley, the alliance lords killed the last lord who had attempted to abandon the alliance.
Everyone gasped for breath and looked around, the cold wind in the middle of the night making them feel thoroughly uncomfortable.
"This time is a complete failure."
"There must have been a bloodbath inside the valley. The sound of fighting and that terrifying thunder from earlier even reached out here."
"What do we do now?"
The lords wiped the dust and blood from their bodies, speaking feebly.
Before they could figure out their next move, a figure suddenly emerged in the distance. It was Zhao Kai.
Zhao Kai looked at the alliance lords with a sullen expression, making no effort to hide the mockery on his face.
"With your level of strength, you still dared to stand against Toji Hisami?"
"It would have been better to let me take command in the first place!" Zhao Kai declared unceremoniously, pointing at the crowd.
His troops stepped out from the rear as well, with heroic spirits holding bows and arrows on guard from a distance.
The alliance lords were shocked. Seeing Zhao Kai’s fully intact forces, they hurriedly ordered their subordinates into a defensive posture.
After their internal struggle, both their unit numbers and physical conditions were in terrible shape.
"Who are you?"
"Zhao Kai!"
Zhao Kai announced his name openly, immediately causing a commotion among the group opposite him.
During this period, Toji Hisami had been the main topic of discussion on public channels.
Zhao Kai was also known to many lords due to his connection with Toji Hisami.
However, he appeared more like a laughingstock in people’s casual conversations.
Yet at this moment, facing Zhao Kai with his fully preserved lineup, the alliance lords did not dare display any disdain.
If Zhao Kai were provoked, they might be slaughtered on the spot.
Someone quietly inquired in the group channel about the arrival time of the second wave of reinforcements.
Upon learning that reinforcements were still an hour or two away, their posture remained humble.
Coming from prominent families, while it was second nature to look down on others, it was also instinctual to read the room.
They had repeatedly looked down on Toji Hisami inside the valley and tried to deceive him again and again because they had believed they possessed superior strength.
Now that everyone was clearly running on empty, it was only natural to act submissive when the situation demanded it.
"Don’t think I don’t know what you are thinking."
"In the area where you are standing, I have already buried goblin mines beneath your feet. If you don’t believe me, take a look."
Zhao Kai snorted and signaled his Heroic Soul Elf to fire an arrow.
The arrow traced an arc through the air and landed in an open space three hundred meters away from the alliance lords, making a muffled thud.
Immediately afterward, a loud explosion erupted as a plume of fire surged into the sky, sweeping a violent shockwave across the area.
The eyes of the alliance lords who witnessed this narrowed sharply.
"Don’t worry. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it just now instead of letting you eliminate those deserters."
"I came out simply to discuss with you how the alliance should develop in the future."
A soldier brought over a chair, and Zhao Kai sat down composedly.
After observing the alliance members turning on one another, he had immediately grasped what had happened.
Internal strife had broken out within the alliance, and for him, this turned out to be an unexpected piece of good news.
Although he had originally been excluded from the core family circle, he had now been given another opportunity.
He stepped out now specifically to subdue this group.
He would then use them as a springboard to slowly and quietly infiltrate the alliance’s leadership.
As for how to bring these people under his control, the smile on Zhao Kai’s face slowly faded.
"You have thoroughly offended Toji Hisami..."
Indeed, Zhao Kai had to use the very person he despised most as leverage to force this group to align with him.
His words acted like sharp blades, piercing straight into the hearts of the alliance lords.
During the battle in the valley, they had placed themselves entirely on the opposite side of Toji Hisami.
Now, the stronger Toji Hisami grew, the more perilous their situation became.