What was the point of the build up?

How did this harcal beat the corps master within an inch of his life twice? You’re telling me the guy who built a slave empire can only run away and hide? Not even have a class that use slaves like the blood witch used her soilders to take wounds for her?

I understand that dead family can break someone but harcal was a slaver, he should have at lest produced a “if I lose everyone loses” scenario by making the team choose between killing him and saving the slaves.