Their victory in the encounter with Zhengzheng not only plunged Devin and the other rebels into despair, but also raised Kahn and Azula's prestige among the Royal Guard to its peak.
The strength the two had displayed on their previous mission had already turned heads. This time, they had even defeated a Firebending Master, beating him into a humiliating retreat. It was simply unbelievable.
The people of the Fire Nation revered strength to begin with, and the power Azula and Kahn displayed at such a young age won the wholehearted respect of everyone in the Royal Guard.
More importantly, beyond her absolute strength, Azula's talent, intelligence, temperament, and status were equally striking. With all these qualities gathered in one person, everyone understood that she was certain to achieve astonishing things in the future.
Faced with such a dazzling golden thigh to cling to, quite a few soldiers began entertaining ideas.
Azula keenly sensed this atmosphere and took the initiative to treat the soldiers with courtesy, smoothly winning the loyalty of an entire squad of Royal Guards. Everyone was happy.
Every soldier in the Royal Guard was an elite Firebender. Gaining an elite squad loyal to her could certainly be considered the greatest reward of this mission.
More importantly, the Royal Guard was stationed at the Royal Palace year-round and served as the emperor's bodyguards.
But if even his bodyguards turned against him, Ozai would effectively be running naked along a knife's edge, especially when he did not even know that blade existed.
As for Kahn, he had gained a concrete understanding of his strength as a "Civil War God." Although his victory over Zhengzheng had been the result of his cooperation with Azula, he felt that even if he faced Zhengzheng alone, he might still be able to hold his