Chapter 45

It's delightful to see doors opening before you as massive chunks of walls retreat into the ground, leaving a completely free passage to the middle and upper city. And it's even more delightful to see your troops marching through these passages, opened for us. There's no need to struggle and fight with the problem of overcoming the walls, with diversions and all that stuff.

At precisely four in the morning, the walls fell, and our army, ready for this moment, moved forward. It was early morning, and many were asleep, moreover, the defenders didn't expect betrayal from their own ranks, especially not from the strongest earthbenders! Thus, we met almost no resistance.

It was a victory. A complete victory of the Fire Nation over the Earth Kingdom. The main city-citadel fell, now only guerrillas and minor resistance foci remained, mostly scattered, but they too will disappear over time, having no support, funding, supplies, and so on.

I stood on the roof of one of the tall buildings, leaning against the wall and smiling as I watched the unfolding events, with Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula standing next to me.

"Did we make it?" Azula asked, approaching me.

"It seems so. The city is taken. Our army is now inside. All that's left is to establish order, suppress the resistance, calm the population, and then just hold on. In a few years, the population will get used to the Fire Nation. But that won't be your concern. Our task is to accomplish the first three items. Or wait for the arrival of a competent administrator. Then we will have completed our mission.

"Time for a break?! Hooray! Where shall we go? I want to go to the beach! Azula, Mai, Garo, let's go to the beach afterward?" Ty Lee said cheerfully.

"Definitely. But first, we need to finish all the work here. Besides, there's still..." I paused, feeling a familiar life force. I can't understand whose life force I felt, but it's definitely familiar, one I've encountered before.

It seems I remember... "Azula, follow me!"

I leaped from the spot, using jet bursts to jump over several roofs at once, catching up to the carrier of the familiar life force.

I only managed to catch up to them on the main road of the lower city. Them, because there were two running, but I only felt one as familiar.

When the fugitives emerged onto the main road, I unleashed a stream of fire that arced around them and ignited a circle of earth, preventing their escape. People around screamed and ran away, understanding they didn't belong here.

I glided into the fiery circle, and Azula landed almost on the opposite side from me.

And in the center stood two, both of whom I recognized immediately. And Azula too, judging by the looks she threw at them.

"The Dragon of the West, elder brother of Fire Lord Ozai. It's an honor to meet such a great person as you, General Iroh. And no less a great firebender. As well as the banished Prince Zuko. It's a pity that you both are now declared traitors. But, most of all, I feel sorry for you, General Iroh. Honestly, it was unexpected to find you here. You could at least rejoice at your niece's success - she managed to take the city of Ba Sing Se in less than a month and a half.

"Yes, indeed, it is an achievement, congratulations to you, Azula."

"Oh, thank you, uncle!" she said with a smirk, standing in a fighting stance.

"And what's your name, young man?" Iroh addressed me while Zuko looked at us.

"I am known as Garo."

"I've heard of you. Perhaps you could let the old man and his nephew go and forget we ever met?" he asked, grinning broadly.

"You know, I don't think we'd be understood if we did that, so..."

"Enough talking!" Zuko shouted and hurled a fireball at both of us.

"Zuko, no!" Iroh cried, but he had to deflect my stream of fire immediately, only to have another fire projectile arced at him, which he countered by launching a fireball in return and jumping to send two fireballs at me, which I blocked with a fire disc, then quickly returned it to Iroh, who had just exhaled a huge wave of fire at me. The fire disc cut through the wave but diminished, and the elder dispersed it with his hand, gathering the resulting flames and sending a fire whip at me.

My fire blade sliced through the fire whip and then transformed into a fireball headed for the elder, met by his fist, which shattered the ball. But then there was an explosion, throwing Iroh back. He landed next to Zuko, who at that moment was being pressured by Azula's fire.

I prepared to eliminate the lesser threat, knowing that against the more significant one, this move would be futile.

The air around me crackled, and in a moment, I extended my hand with fingers stretched out, from which a lightning bolt obediently and slowly took off, then accelerated to the speed of real lightning.

However, just before the lightning bolt left my fingers, Iroh pushed his nephew away.

The lightning struck the elder, and I thought it was over, but...

The elder absorbed my lightning through his left hand and, quickly doing something, sent it back at me from his other hand.

"So, THAT was possible?..." I managed to think, feeling almost childishly upset...

And then I just blacked out...

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