In Zhao Kai’s description, Toji Hisami was a person who held grudges. Once he caught the opportunity, these people would face total elimination.
With Toji Hisami’s strength, Zhao Kai concluded that he would not perish in the valley.
Even if the orcs launched a crazy offensive at the end, Toji Hisami had at least a fifty-fifty chance of surviving.
"If you don’t want to be abandoned by the alliance in the end, then cooperating with me is your best way out," Zhao Kai said darkly, and those lords were obviously moved.
Someone hesitated and told him about the second batch of reinforcements.
The reinforcements were in good condition and had large numbers. Once they arrived, the initiative would undoubtedly lie with them.
Those present were defeated generals, so they would have no say at all when the time came.
If they played no role, then as soon as Toji Hisami recovered in the future, the alliance would be forced to give up on them sooner or later.
However, Zhao Kai laughed out loud at this point.
"What are you afraid of? After this battle, Toji Hisami will definitely be exhausted."
"We all came in together. No matter how strong he is, can he really be several levels above us? It’s just luck and opportunity."
"Wait for your reinforcements to arrive, hide some of the information, and let them go to the valley to deal with Toji Hisami."
"Dog eat dog! If Toji Hisami is killed, everyone will be happy, and you can lure people back. With me here, BOOM!"
"If the reinforcements are all driven off or defeated by Toji Hisami, then bring Toji Hisami over as well. The result will still be the same: BOOM!"
Zhao Kai made an exaggerated explosion gesture with both hands.
When the alliance lords on the opposite side heard this, their eyes lit up.
It had to be said that they were completely convinced by Zhao Kai.
These two plans, no matter which came to pass, would allow them to maintain their position.
In their opinion, the reinforcements must not be allowed to achieve results, otherwise their own contributions would be forgotten.
"We are not a true alliance anyway. It is only natural that a fellow Taoist perishes so long as I survive."
Everyone immediately began to discuss and perfect the next specific plan.
Time passed quietly in such an environment, and a glimmer of light gradually appeared on the horizon as dawn broke.
Peace had been restored in the valley for some time.
The sound of vibrating horse hooves gradually echoed from the wilderness, and reinforcements from the alliance finally arrived.
When they came over according to the coordinates, the first thing they saw was their allies sitting slumped on the ground resting. The faces of several lords showed clear disdain.
Defeated generals and panicked dogs.
That was what they thought of their allies at this moment.
Their expressions were not concealed at all, and the first batch of alliance lords saw it clearly.
"I am even more certain about Zhao Kai’s plan now."
After the two sides, both harbouring hidden motives, reunited, the defeated alliance lords began describing the situation in the valley to the reinforcements.
When he heard that the fighting in the valley had lasted all night and only calmed down at dawn, the reinforcement lord was immediately overjoyed.
"Okay, you don’t need to participate in the next battle. Just stay here to support us."
"The rest of you follow me. If Toji Hisami fought all night, even if he survived, he will be exhausted."
"Immeasurable wealth is right in front of us. Kill Toji Hisami, and the S-level reward will be ours!"
"Kill!"
A group of people rushed toward the valley.
The second batch of reinforcements numbered over six hundred people, and their momentum grew quite formidable as they surged forward.
The defeated lords were told to stay put and provide support, but in reality, the reinforcement lords simply did not want to share the credit.
This greedy behavior was transparent to everyone.
However, the reinforcements failed to notice the cold sneers on the faces of those who stayed behind.
Somewhere in the darkness, Zhao Kai was watching silently as well.
The reinforcements rushed toward the valley impatiently. By this time, the mountain fire had already died out, leaving only the unpleasant smell of charred earth.
Groups of soldiers rushed up into the valley, and what met their eyes were corpses covering the ground.
On another high ground in the valley, a team of well-armed cavalry was looking down at them with sneers.
Behind the cavalry stood the shield guards, who had fully recovered. They held their large shields high, protecting the auxiliary troops tightly.
Toji Hisami rode the silver-white unicorn, standing right in the center.
No matter how one looked at this scene, he did not look like someone who had been fighting all night!
They had been tricked!
Everyone among the reinforcements was shocked.
A man’s reputation precedes him like the shadow of a tree.
They had dared to come to the valley only because they thought Toji Hisami would be out of energy and his army severely depleted.
But seeing that Toji Hisami had a completely intact lineup, they would not dare take action even if they had the courage to try.
Some immediately turned around to flee.
However, Toji Hisami was not the type to let others provoke him freely. The moment these people rushed into the valley, they were already dead in his eyes!
With a wave of his hand, Boris, who had been waiting all night, was the first to charge out.
The Flying Tiger Cavalry followed closely behind, their formidable aura instantly terrifying the alliance reinforcements, who were mostly composed of first-level troops.
Swinging a broadsword as large as half a door panel with a roaring wind, Boris rode his Earthly Dragon directly into the enemy formation.
The blade fell, and blood flew!
Without any need for the shield guards to step in, Boris’s troops alone had completely broken the fighting spirit of the alliance reinforcements.
The remaining people no longer cared about anything else, turning around and running away like wailing ghosts.
When one side runs, the other naturally pursues!
Toji Hisami signaled the shield guards to clear a path, and the surrounding lords immediately led their field soldiers to join the chase.
Outside the valley, several lords who had been watching the reinforcements enter suddenly stood up.
They were shocked to see that less than ten minutes after entering, the reinforcements were fleeing back in utter chaos.
At the rear, the Flying Tiger Cavalry and a group of ordinary soldiers pursued and slaughtered them with terrifying momentum.
This was hardly the state of an army exhausted and running on empty after a major battle!
Zhao Kai, hiding in the dark, felt his heart skip a beat.
When he saw Toji Hisami finally appear above the valley, riding the dashing silver-white auspicious beast, Zhao Kai was completely consumed by the fire of jealousy.
From a distance, Toji Hisami looked in Zhao Kai’s direction with a faint smile.
He even raised his hand and pointed directly at Zhao Kai.
The gesture clearly communicated: I see you, no need to hide.
At that moment, Zhao Kai felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, extinguishing every trace of his arrogance.
He had thought his sophisticated plan made him the clever bird waiting at the end, but that entire illusion shattered the moment Toji Hisami stepped forward.
How could Toji Hisami have simply been hiding blindly in the valley for the night?
He had already sent Lyra out to scout, clearly observing the arrangements made by Zhao Kai and the alliance lords.
This was their first encounter since entering the lord trial.
It carried that same familiar pattern.
Whenever Zhao Kai could not win in a head-on match, he would resort to underhanded tricks behind the scenes.
But so what?
He could not beat Toji Hisami back at the Sacred College, and now in a trial of real swords and spears, did he truly think he could make a comeback?
"Why can’t some people learn their lesson and grow?"
Toji Hisami drew out the strange book, and surging magic power suddenly erupted from his body.
Zhao Kai, hiding far away in the darkness, felt his heart leap into his throat. A chill ran from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, making his hair stand on end.
He no longer cared about any arrangements, ambushes, or traps.
Scrambling out from behind the pile of rocks where he had been hiding, he sprinted into the distance.
Before running off, he did not forget to scream at the alliance lords who were waiting there to ambush Toji Hisami:
"Withdraw! Withdraw quickly!"
"He found out!"
"He discovered us a long time ago! Get out! Get out of here quickly!"
As Zhao Kai shouted, the alliance lords leaped up as if pricked by needles.
Without looking back, they turned and fled.
Zhao Kai was even more frantic, ordering the heroic half-elf Soma to lead the archers in detonating all the buried goblin mines.
The unhinged guy had planted at least fifty landmines in the area.
Their simultaneous detonation made the ground tremble violently.
Terrifying shockwaves knocked down several unlucky individuals who were standing too close.
The retreat path of the reinforcements was completely blocked as well, leaving them in absolute despair.
Boris’s face carried a cold sneer beneath his mask. Becoming increasingly fierce, he led the other lords to wipe out all the remaining alliance reinforcements in front of them.
Above the valley, Toji Hisami closed the strange book once more.
Zhao Kai was too far away, and hitting him would require expending the artifact’s power.
It was not worth wasting the power of an artifact just to deal with a bug.
Toji Hisami knew what Zhao Kai was trying to do.
He wanted to use this opportunity to infiltrate the alliance, form his own faction, and restore his status.
However, Toji Hisami did not care in the slightest; in fact, he welcomed Zhao Kai doing so.
Those in the alliance, after this battle, had likely lost all desire to compete with him.
With Zhao Kai present, he could help Toji Hisami gather all the garbage bugs into one place—after all, birds of a feather flock together.
In Toji Hisami’s eyes, anyone who could be won over by Zhao Kai was merely trash waiting to be eliminated.
In that case, he would let Zhao Kai gather them up.
The matter was finally settled.