The amount of controversy that the Bair fighters had generated was insane. This mysterious dark horse had managed to not only be on par with the greatest within the tournament but also perhaps even more skilled. This was the time that they did something that no one expected, they had a monstrous amount of momentum from just pushing away 7 other groups, but they decided to take this time to be idle. From a strategic standpoint, momentum was crucial for victory, but these guys were squandering this precious resource like it meant nothing to them. In the meantime, the Bair fighters sent an envoy to each and every single remaining group's leader was invited to meet one of the 5 strategists. Baron's group was one of the first to be met by one of these representatives.
(BG) "I am from the Bair fighters, my name is Shi Lang." Biao Gong introduced himself.
(BM) "Welcome, elder. Please come in, we welcome your visit." Baron said and led him to the war room where the others were waiting for him.
(BL) "Greetings one and all, the great lord Biao Gong has graced you with his presence, hahaha. All jokes aside, you all must be surprised as to why I came here unarmed and all that."
(MT) "That sure is an understatement, it's not everyday that an enemy general shows up at your doorstep wanting an audience." Meng Tian replied.
(MY) "So what is your business in coming here?" Meng Yi asked getting to the point.
(BG) "So you two must be the ones in charge of this region, the Meng duo I presume? Anyway, reason that I have come here is to offer not only your group but also every other group a treaty of non violence." Biao Gong said with a smile.
(BM) "I don't want to sound rude, but why would the Bair fighters need a pact of non aggression?"
(BG) "Heh, you young'uns sure are green. This pact isn't for our sake, it's for yours. Any party unwilling to have the pact with us will be immediately wiped off the map and have their land conquered by us. I'm sure that you have already witnessed our overwhelming strength in the aerial field. Would you like to face a group that was able to push back 7 groups that are each individually stronger than you guys with only half of their forces?"
(BM) "That's a fair point, but can you explain how this will benefit you guys?"
(BG) "Sure, I may come off as condescending in this monologue so forgive me, or don't I don't care. To the 5 of us within the Bair fighters, everyone else in this tournament has pitiful skills in the aerial battlefields. So, we like to show off our strength right from the get go and play with anyone who has at least a decent amount of skill."
(MT) "Decent?"
(BG) "Hah, get as frustrated as you want, that will not help your situation. Decide now whether you want to be the toys in our little sandbox or whether you want to be wiped off the map. The choice is yours, but I should warn you that if you do agree to our deal, we will send some of our troops to anyone we like."
(MT) "Enough, we accept. This is a no brainer for anyone wanting to make a name for themselves and get rewards in the end. We accept." Meng Tian said heartbrokenly.
(BG) "Excellent, I will take one of you with me and be on my way. You boy, the one who welcomed me in. I want you to accompany me to all my other visits to the other kingdoms that have managed to make it this far. You should know that failure to do as I say can also result in the destruction of your pitiful little group here."
(BM) "I understand, if there is nothing else then we should get going, elder." The two left the room to get onto their next destination.
(MT) "Who does he think he is? Coming in here and basically taking one of us hostage. The nerve of this guy is off the charts."
(MY) "Calm down brother, though we may have lost face, think of what the others have to deal with. They have made more of a name for themselves than we have and they will be forced to do the same thing." Meng Yi said trying to console his brother. The others just stayed silent still processing what was happening.
Baron and Biao Gong left and headed for the group of Sun Alliance elders to the north of their territory. Biao Gong mentioned the same spiel to them and indeed they had to swallow their face and accept the treaty as well as giving up one of their core members. This went on for a week or so and in this time, not a single weapon was fired nor a single soldier killed.
This was because the Bair fighters had basically ushered in a universal truce through words, albeit temporarily. There were 4 Bair fighters members that went around to do this task to take a hostage and instigate a truce treaty between them and every other party still within the tournament. After every territory had been gone through, all the people chosen by the Bair fighters were congregated at the main base of operations for the Bair fighters.
It was so secret that everyone who wasn't part of the Bair fighters had a bag over their heads and transported to the base. There were about a dozen or so hostages that had been taken and they were all gathered in an arena of sorts with multiple tables set up mimicking multiple different scenarios. This was clearly a sort of competition that they had been forced into to show which one of them had skill. A group of 5 walked in front of them and they introduced themselves.
"Hello everybody. We are the Bair fighters."