Compared to the tension of their first mission, the second one was unquestionably easier.
Since their strategy had already proven effective, there was no need to change anything.
All they had to do was replicate the same steps and maintain caution.
However, this time, their target was neither a White Lotus member nor a close subordinate of Iroh like Lidon—nor even a high-ranking official.
If Lidon was a big fish, then this target was… barely a guppy.
When Kahn asked Iroh about the man's background, even Iroh struggled to recall him clearly.
He looked genuinely surprised, never expecting that such a person would openly betray for his sake.
He even appeared briefly moved.
But was that really the truth?
Seeing Iroh's reaction, Kahn became suspicious of the man's so-called loyalty.
Azula, of course, had her own interpretation.
"I don't believe Uncle Iroh has the charm to make everyone fall blindly for him," she said flatly. "If you ask me, this target is probably just a fool who thinks he's clever."
Her meaning was clear:
Unlike Lidon, this rebel leader was likely not driven by loyalty but simply self-preservation. Back then, when choosing sides, he picked incorrectly—one wrong step leading to another until he fell into his current mess.
As odd as Azula's metaphors sounded, her analysis made sense.
They would need to investigate further to judge his intentions and decide how to handle the group he led.
In truth, beyond rescuing Iroh's former subordinates, Kahn and Azula also hoped to use these missions to cultivate their own influence.
Just like with Lidon. When Iroh spoke with him in the Spirit World, Lidon had expressed genuine gratitude toward both Kahn and Azula—the exact result they wanted.
But if this target truly matched Azula's description, then he had no value to recruit.
With these doubts, they arrived at their destination—where General Yudan, who originally handled the mission, quickly cleared things up.
Devon, the rebel leader, had a long-standing feud with Iroh from back when Iroh still commanded the army.
Yudan described him as a hypocrite, a clown pretending to be clever, a petty villain with terrible acting skills, and a fool who never recognized reality.
Yudan himself hadn't pledged loyalty to Ozai immediately.
He stayed neutral, watched the situation carefully, and only after confirming Ozai's power stabilized did he choose to stand with him.
This choice kept him safe—neither promoted nor demoted.
Devon, on the other hand, was far less fortunate.
When news spread of political shifts, Devon loudly supported Iroh at first, certain that Iroh would win—waving flags, shouting slogans, making a whole spectacle of it.
But when the situation turned against Iroh, Devon immediately switched sides and groveled before Ozai.
He barely saved his own life, but his position was nearly erased. He was forcibly assigned under Yudan, the man he'd been at odds with for years.
Naturally, Yudan took every opportunity to make things harder for him. Devon ate bitterness in silence for years.
So their long rivalry ended with Yudan rising and Devon falling.
Or so Yudan believed.
Until, for unknown reasons, Devon suddenly snapped.
He sweet-talked a group of naïve soldiers, launched a surprise rebellion while Yudan was unprepared, and escaped—leading to the current mission.
After finishing the story, Yudan gnashed his teeth.
"If I had known this would happen, I should've just killed that bastard back then!"
Azula and Kahn looked at each other.
They had zero interest in petty rivalries or Yudan's dramatic storytelling.
Judging from Devon's actions, he was definitely not someone worth investing effort into.
Still, they had to follow the complete process—not for Devon's sake, but for future individuals who might be valuable.
However, this time there was no need for personal explanations or heartfelt persuasion. Devon simply wasn't worth the performance.
Another detail caught their attention:
A coward like Devon should never have the guts to defect this boldly.
Combined with Yudan's comment that Devon "suddenly went crazy," the two suspected he was hiding some critical information.
"Information strong enough to make him defect," Azula said thoughtfully, "is either a disaster he caused forcing him to run, or he thinks he found a better place to go."
She smirked slightly.
"When you find that idiot, also check whether anyone else is nearby. We might run into our familiar 'old friends' again."
"I know," Kahn replied.
Among the organizations that could offer refuge to defecting Fire Nation troops, the only one—besides enemy nations—was clearly the White Lotus.
As a decentralized secret organization with branches scattered across the world, information didn't always flow quickly.
The fact that Iroh and the Capital branch hadn't heard anything only confirmed that possibility.
But even if Devon had contacted the White Lotus, Kahn wouldn't show mercy.
Not only would he never allow a mission to fail because of his personal plans—if Devon escaped or joined the White Lotus, he would be planting a ticking bomb inside their territory.
Dangerous. Unacceptable.
Under Azula's supervision, Kahn used out-of-body travel to locate the target.
Even experienced generals like Lidon couldn't escape this cheat-like technique.
Devon, a half-baked rebel leader, had no chance. He was quickly found—still wearing his Fire Nation uniform, making him easy to identify.
After confirming his location, Kahn continued scanning the surrounding area for reinforcements.
But there were none.
Did Azula guess wrong?
Or had potential allies simply not arrived yet?
Either way, they didn't hesitate. They immediately led their forces to capture Devon and his group. The rest could be handled later.
Compared to Lidon's disciplined soldiers, Devon's group was laughably weak.
The moment Kahn and Azula appeared with their forces, Devon and his men barely processed what was happening before they were overwhelmed, beaten down, and restrained.
The whole fight took no more than three minutes.
Only after being tied up did Devon finally realize what had happened. He struggled wildly, shouting:
"Who are you?!"
"Ah!"
Azula cut him off with a sharp kick to the stomach, silencing him instantly as he curled on the ground in pain.
She withdrew her foot with elegance, smiling slightly as she looked down at him.
"You don't need to know who we are," she said sweetly.
"You just need to know your good days are over."
...
Author's Note:
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