Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, over ten days had passed, with the calendar inching closer to June.
The Drum Kingdom on Winter Island remained incredibly cold, with snowflakes drifting down from the sky. The flakes were small, the wind was weak, and they descended slowly from the heavens.
In an open space in a small port village, a great many figures had gathered, including villagers and Zala's guards.
They all focused on the center of the field, where the fate of the entire country was about to be decided.
The battle between the Queen of the Volcano Kingdom and Dalton, the former captain of the Drum Kingdom's guard, was the final match to determine national allegiance.
Although in the hearts of most people, after nearly a month of interaction, their animosity towards the Volcano Kingdom had lessened.
Zala had brought doctors to treat the sick. While medical care was initially free, as medicine began to be consumed faster, Dalton suggested a compromise: consultations would remain free, but medicine and treatment tools would require payment. This was significantly less than the exorbitant fees charged by Dr. Kureha.
Furthermore, Dalton had spread Zala's governing philosophy. Her honesty, trustworthiness, kindness, and compassion had earned her the approval of many.
However, they worried about the emergence of a king like Wapol. The Drum Kingdom was essentially a nation with popular elections; the king was not hereditary, yet Wapol had forcibly seized the throne.
Therefore, in essence, they wished to elect their own king.
"Is that the Queen of the Volcano Kingdom?"
An aged figure stood there, with a reindeer lying beside him.
"That's right. This is the final battle."
The Village Chief said tremulously, "If Dalton loses, this country will be handed over to them."
"Does that mean they'll have to return to the castle? I just settled in the castle," Kureha said somewhat indignantly, then sighed and asked, "They've defeated Dalton three times in a row; their strength is immense. Dalton might not win this one."
"Mmm."
The Village Chief nodded, looking at the sturdy figure standing in the distance. "But Dalton will never give up."
"Let's begin."
Zala looked at the figure before her and said softly, "After this battle, everything will be settled."
"Yes, even though you are a woman and a Princess."
Dalton took out his newly crafted weapon, held it in his hand, and said earnestly, "I will fight with all my might until the very last moment."
"Then come on."
Zala's expression turned serious. Out of respect for her opponent, she showed no signs of slacking.
"Be careful."
Dalton transformed into a tall, monstrous half-bull, half-man creature and charged towards Zala.
Dalton's massive form exerted immense pressure. With a forward rush, he closed in on Zala and then slammed into her.
Boom.
A loud noise echoed. Dalton's charge came to an abrupt halt, blocked by an arm.
Zala's right arm had become incredibly large, its muscles bulging, making it extremely thick.
Thorn Acupuncture Therapy.
"How is this possible?"
Dalton looked at the arm in disbelief, realizing he had been defeated by just one hand.
Zala possessed immense strength. In the original story, she had used acupuncture therapy to grow larger, then transformed into a mace-like state, directly shattering a massive square stone pillar.
Bang.
Dalton pushed off with his legs, rapidly retreating and landing on the ground some distance away.
"If I wanted to, you would be dead by now,"
Zala stared coldly at Dalton and said, "Surrender. You are no match for me."
"I still have to try."
Dalton drew his blade, gripped it, and leaped towards Zala, his massive blade slashing down.
Puff puff puff puff puff.
While in mid-air, Dalton suddenly stiffened, then streams of blood spurted out. He fell to his knees with a thud.
Thorn Barrage.
His hands transformed into spikes, unleashed in an instant, like a torrential storm, moving with incredible speed.
She could create dozens of holes in a wall in an instant. In terms of attack speed, few in Baroque Works could compare.
Good.
"Is that enough now?"
Zala looked at Dalton and said, "I avoided your vital points and lessened the damage. Otherwise, you would be dead by now."
"Not enough."
Dalton slowly stood up, gripping his blade, and said, "I haven't fallen yet."
"Are you an idiot?"
Zala couldn't help but curse, "You're no match for me at all. If this continues, you'll only end up seriously injured."
"But I haven't fallen yet."
Dalton looked at Zala and said, "As long as I haven't fallen, you haven't won, and this country won't belong to you."
With those words, Dalton gripped his blade and lunged at Zala, slashing down.
Faced with this attack, Zala could have used her spikes to strike him before he could even finish his move and kill him.
But Zala didn't. She stomped her feet, instantly dodging, and then appeared beside Dalton, throwing a punch.
However, Dalton twisted his body, and his long blade was already swinging towards Zala's neck.
Whoosh.
Zala's body vanished again, evading the blow.
Dalton launched attack after attack, but Zala didn't counter. She just kept dodging.
"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you attacking me?" Dalton shouted, blood streaming from his body, "Attack me."
"But you'll die like this."
Zala yelled in frustration, flashed to Dalton's side, and thrust out her right hand.
Zala naturally couldn't kill Dalton. The President had told her how important he was, and she knew it herself.
But not being able to kill him didn't mean she couldn't beat him to the brink of death. Yet, Zala didn't intend to do that. When she saw herself as the King of this country, she believed Dalton was exactly the kind of person she needed, someone who would surely lead this country to strength.
Thwack.
Dalton's knee was hit, and he crashed to the ground, but the next moment, he gritted his teeth and stood up again.
"Why?"
Seeing this, Zala was confused. Why was he so relentless?
"Give up, Dalton. You don't need to continue."
"That's right, at worst, we can become residents of the Volcano Kingdom."
The villagers shouted loudly.
Many villagers couldn't bear to watch.
Dalton had fought for them four times, getting injured each time, yet he kept getting back up to resist.
"Why doesn't Dalton give up..."
The Village Chief watched this scene with a puzzled expression. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You're no match for her. Since the Queen doesn't intend to kill you, just surrender."
But Dalton turned a deaf ear and lunged at Zala, who, with no other choice, continued to evade.
"He's showing the villagers something."
Kureha suddenly said, a hint of helplessness on her face.
"Showing what?" Tony Tony Chopper beside her asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
Kureha said, "He's telling the villagers that the opponent's strength is insurmountable and they are powerless to resist. He's telling them that even though he's trying to stop her from taking over the country, she still doesn't intend to kill him, which is fundamentally different from Wapol. He's also telling everyone that if she ever oppresses the people in the future, he's willing to fight desperately for them. Dalton is willing to take a gamble, and she is worth gambling on."
As Kureha spoke, Zala flashed behind Dalton and thrust out both hands.
Thwack.
Spikes pierced the back of Dalton's neck. Dalton stiffened and lunged forward, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Dalton's dead?"
"No way?"
Everyone was stunned, a sense of panic creeping into their hearts.
But Kureha smiled, and with Tony Tony Chopper, turned to leave. "Let's go. We'll tidy up the castle and hand it over to the Queen."
"He's not dead."
Zala clapped her hands and then said, "I just pierced his Sleep Point, making him fall asleep."
Hearing this, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"What a fool."
Zala glanced at Dalton, sighed, and waved her hand. "Take him for treatment."
"Yes."
A doctor immediately rushed forward, lifted Dalton, and carried him away.
Many people dislike one update a day, so I will change it to two updates a day.
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