Chapter 125: Winning Over Zhuoma

When the 158 city guards were released, General Doma’s movements began to grow increasingly sluggish.

He was already utterly exhausted, and in his battle with Wolf, the ease he had shown at the beginning was plainly gone.

Wolf, on the other hand, had remained in peak condition the entire time. No matter how many times he was defeated, he recovered in a matter of moments! To General Doma, this was profoundly unfair.

As fatigue set in, General Doma could no longer bring his full strength to bear. He was even beginning to fail at blocking Wolf’s attacks, and Wolf’s claws had raked several wounds across his body.

Keane gave him no chance to recover his stamina, but he did permit Christina to use healing magic during the brief rest General Doma was granted after each victory.

Because of this, General Doma, Christina, and the many city guards all came to view him differently. The foreigner they had initially regarded with hostility had become a victor worthy of respect.

By the time the battle reached the 223rd bout, General Doma had finally reached his limit.

This time, he was unable to defeat Wolf. His body had grown unbearably heavy, and he could no longer keep up with Wolf’s blinding speed.

“The winner is decided!” A spark of delight flashed in Wolf’s eyes. The instant General Doma’s movements slowed, Wolf launched himself into a flying kick.

“Boom!”

General Doma knew he had to dodge, but his body could no longer keep pace with his thoughts. The kick struck him squarely, sending him crashing to the ground.

Wolf immediately pressed his claws against the general’s throat, finally securing a victory of 1 to 222!

Even though he had cheated, Wolf was still immensely excited to have defeated General Doma in single combat. He could not help throwing back his head and releasing an exhilarated howl.

Christina and the city guards who had been freed all lowered their heads in dejection.

Of course, everyone knew that no matter how powerful General Doma was, he could not keep winning forever. His stamina was limited, while the werewolf seemed like a monster that never weakened, no matter how many times he was struck! Yet when General Doma truly suffered defeat, sorrow rose unbidden in all their hearts.

As the one who had lost, General Doma blamed himself even more deeply.

“Bang!”

His fist slammed into the ground, and regret showed on his face. “I’m sorry, brothers. I failed to keep my promise and win freedom for every one of you!”

“Don’t say that, General Doma! You did everything you could!” Christina sighed, clasping her hands beside him.

“That’s right! General, don’t blame yourself. You did everything you could!”

“This isn’t your fault, General!”

“Please get up, General!”

The city guards gathered around him, offering words of comfort.

“Whatever the reason, a promise unfulfilled is still a promise unfulfilled!” General Doma lowered his head, both hands clenched tightly into fists.

Seeing this, Keane stepped forward. “Doma!”

“I lost.” General Doma slowly raised his head. “Tell me how you intend to deal with me.”

“You have earned my respect!” Keane walked up before him and looked him in the eye. “Therefore, I have decided to release every one of the city guards. You have fulfilled your promise. They are all free!”

“What did you say?” Delight flashed across Doma’s eyes. “Say that again!”

“I said that all the city guards are free!” Keane repeated.

“They’re free? Every one of them?”

“Yes!”

Overjoyed, Doma leaped to his feet and shouted toward the city guards, “Did you hear that? Every one of you is free!”

The city guards were too choked with emotion to speak. Their freedom had been bought by General Doma’s desperate struggle.

Soon, the other city guards inside the prison were released as well. Yet when they heard that they had been granted freedom, not one of them rejoiced. Instead, their hearts grew unbearably heavy, because General Doma had exchanged his own rights for theirs.

General Doma could have left long ago, but he had chosen to fight without pause, rescuing one city guard after another until he was completely exhausted and finally defeated! This meant that he now had to submit to the enemy and let them decide his fate.

Many of the city guards even burst into tears, surrounding Doma and insisting that they would stay behind rather than leave.

Doma immediately flew into a rage. “I sacrificed everything to rescue you so that you could return home and reunite with your families! If you refuse to leave, won’t that make my sacrifice meaningless? In the name of the general, I order you to leave this place at once and return to Bright City!”

There was no denying that Doma held tremendous authority among the city guards. Once his order was issued, they could do nothing but obey, no matter how reluctant they were.

“Lord Keane, I will remain here according to the rules and submit to your judgment!” Doma said, looking at Keane. “Please return their weapons and armor so they can leave the Warcraft Forest safely!”

“Their weapons and armor? Once something enters my warehouse, I don’t return it. Am I supposed to let them take their weapons and come back to attack me?” Keane shook his head. “However, I can have my kobold troops escort them out.”

“That will do,” Doma said. “So long as they can leave safely.”

“I always keep my word!” Keane immediately summoned the kobold chieftain and ordered him to assemble the kobold troops. He also had people retrieve a large quantity of roasted meat and wild-fruit juice from the warehouse and distribute it to the city guards as food and water for the journey. After all, everything they possessed had been confiscated. They could hardly be expected to run for fifteen days on empty stomachs.

Keane even returned the city guards’ warhorses to them. Although he would have loved to possess a proper cavalry force, he currently had no soldiers to serve as riders. Kobolds certainly could not become cavalry—their short legs could not grip a horse’s flanks.

The city guards had never expected Keane to be so generous, and they were sincerely grateful to him. If their families had not all been waiting in Bright City, many of them might have impulsively chosen to stay behind.

In the end, however, they still set out for home.

Watching the city guards disappear in a grand procession over the horizon under the escort of the kobold troops, Doma finally allowed himself to relax. He turned around and dropped to one knee before Keane.

“Lord Keane, according to the rules, you may now decide my fate.”

“Excellent!” Keane was delighted. “Then from this day forward, you are my newest follower! Swear your oath in the name of the God of War!”

Doma lowered his head. “I, Doma Gulev, swear in the name of the God of War! From this moment on, I shall follow Lord Keane and never betray him!”

“Hahaha!”

Although Barty had already told him that Doma was not even considered an outstanding warrior in the Empire of Valor, he was still far stronger than anyone Keane currently had under his command. Keane was genuinely delighted. He reached out and helped Doma to his feet.

“Good! Wonderful! Welcome to my faction. From today onward, you are the first great general under my command!”

“Yes!”

Doma raised his head.

“Come! Since you’re one of us now, you can enjoy some honey!” Keane immediately handed him a bottle, grinning from ear to ear.