As Kahn's forces discovered their opponents, Li Dun and his group also spotted Kahn's contingent.
After a brief standoff, the battle erupted.
On the surface, Li Dun's forces numbered nearly a hundred, while the Royal Guards consisted of only twenty, a vast disparity in numbers.
However, among Li Dun's nearly hundred-strong force, there were fewer than ten Firebenders, and they were sowhat fatigued from their long escape, their strength already diminished by a third.
In contrast, all mbers of the Royal Guards were Firebenders, and elite ones at that.
After a day of rest, their spirits were high, and they were in peak condition.
The gap between a bender and an ordinary person is generally difficult to bridge, let alone when Wolf and the others were elites among elites.
Logically, the battle should have quickly beco a one-sided affair.
However, Azula's order to capture them alive ant the Royal Guards could not use their full strength, which gave Li Dun's disadvantaged forces so room to maneuver.
Experienced ordinary fighters and the few Firebenders, through their cooperation, were able to barely hold off the Royal Guards' assault, but that was all.
They could not achieve further results.
Thus, the battle entered a delicate and fragile balance.
And just then, Kahn and Azula entered the fray.
Through the plan they discussed last night, they understood that to complete this perilous sche, Kahn and Azula first had to complete Ozai's task, and they had to do it splendidly.
For this, Li Dun's forces had to be captured by them.
So, upon seeing Kahn and Azula enter, they understood it was ti to lose, and they all prepared to hold back.
But they quickly realized that it was unnecessary.
The balance of the battle was already delicate and fragile.
It would only take one side adding another "straw" to change the situation, let alone Kahn and Azula, who were not ager like straw but more like fierce tigers.
The two crashed into the crowd with unstoppable montum, splitting their attacks.
Like a rolling inferno flattening everything in its path, they carved a large "V" through the crowd.
To avoid injuring anyone, Kahn did not even use Firebending.
Instead, he employed his long-unseen, exquisite footwork and chi-blocking techniques.
Not only that, with the support of Spiritbending, his perception beca even sharper.
Combined with his near-absolute body control, it pushed his footwork to another level.
In the chaotic battlefield, Kahn was like a ghost.
He appeared and disappeared, moving skillfully and agilely, overcoming obstacles with ease.
He struck pressure points precisely and subtly, leaving no trace.
From an outsider's perspective, wherever Kahn passed, enemies suddenly felt their limbs go weak and collapsed to the ground without understanding why.
Even Firebenders could not escape this fate.
In the blink of an eye, a large number fell, creating a bizarre and chilling scene.
On the other side, Azula adopted a similar close-combat approach.
Although Azula's hand-to-hand combat skills were not as refined as Kahn's, they were only inferior in comparison to him.
Because she had often been overwheld by Kahn in the past, she had trained extensively in this area.
Now, even against a master like Ty Lee, she could hold her own for a ti.
In combat, Azula's talent was undeniable.
Slightly different from Kahn's style, her movents were agile and fierce.
Every move targeted a vital point.
Even while holding back, she could make soone lose their ability to fight within just a few moves.
When facing Firebenders, Azula was even more domineering.
Against incoming flas, she responded with her own techniques.
Her powerful and distinctive blue fire completely overwheld her opponents' attacks.
Many Firebenders were left stunned on the spot.
Kahn and Azula's first true display of strength was dazzling and eye-catching, astonishing everyone present.
After their discussion last night, Li Dun had already witnessed their intelligence.
But he had not expected their strength to be so formidable.
Watching Kahn approach him with overwhelming montum, as if no one else existed, Li Dun no longer held back.
Instead, he decided to use this opportunity to test the strength of his comrade's son.
The stronger Kahn proved to be, the more reassured he would feel.
Thinking this, he swung his right fist in a standard opening move.
A fierce fireball shot toward Kahn.
At that mont, Kahn seed to enter a profound state.
His body moved as if dancing on the edge of a blade.
Spiritbending activated.
His senses were pushed to their limits.
His body and soul operated at full capacity.
It was as if he had opened a third eye, able to perceive attacks from any direction and respond with perfect precision.
Facing the incoming fireball, Kahn did not even look.
With a casual grasp, he seized the fla.
The blazing fireball instantly shrank into a pitiful flicker, swaying briefly before vanishing into nothing.
Under Li Dun's stunned gaze, Kahn passed by him.
With fluid motion, he struck two pressure points.
Li Dun felt his body go limp.
He staggered and collapsed to the ground, no different from the others.
Less than a minute after Kahn and Azula joined the battle, the previously balanced situation ca to an abrupt end.
"That was quite an exhilarating fight."
"It's just a sha we couldn't go all out."
"It was only good for getting so practice in with so many people."
After the battle, Azula stretched as she spoke.
"You call that not going all out?"
Kahn glanced at her sideways.
Both of them had knocked people down, but most of those defeated by him looked confused, unable to understand what had happened.
Those struck down by Azula, however, wore expressions of clear pain, making them easy to distinguish.
Azula shrugged.
"To be fair, I was already holding back a lot."
"…Alright then."
Kahn conceded.
If Azula had fought with the sa intensity as when she sparred with him, people would truly have died.
On the other side, looking at the large number of fallen enemies, and at Kahn and Azula chatting as if nothing had happened, the Royal Guards exchanged glances.
Besides suppressing the rebels and monitoring the situation, their mission also included protecting Princess Azula.
But now, did Azula even need protection?
Recalling what they had just witnessed, it seed that neither Azula nor Kahn could necessarily be defeated by them.
Considering their age, many could not help but question themselves.
Could people like them, who could not even defeat children, truly be called elites?
Wolf was equally shocked.
However, he did not forget his duty.
He ordered his subordinates to detain all the rebels.
Then he approached Azula and asked,
"Princess, what should we do next?"
Ultimately, Ozai's order had been to eliminate the rebels.
He could not understand the reason for capturing them alive.
Azula revealed a cruel smile that sent a chill down his spine.
"Wouldn't letting them die like this be too easy for them?"
"And how would it deter other rebels?"
She chuckled softly.
"Sotis, living can be more painful than death."
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