Against Heaven's Will

The atmosphere in the arena was so thick with tension, it felt as though one could cut it with a knife. The audience held its collective breath, watching the Legacy Disciples scatter as soon as the bell rang. They swiftly created a Soul Formation to trap her inside, but Wu remained rooted in her position, seemingly indifferent to their tactics.

Sylara couldn't help but glare at Wu suspiciously, their plans to counter-attack her first move has failed. They had no other option but to move to the second phase of their strategy. She ensured everyone was in position before ordering from afar, "Soul Lockdown!"

All Legacy Disciples released their Soul Power, forming a shiny dome around Wu. It slowly tightened until it was just inches away from Wu, locking her in place.

Sylara smirked, her eyes flashing with confidence. This was one of the strongest immobilizing Soul Arts, capable of trapping anyone who hadn't completed their first refining yet. Judging by how Wu hadn't reached the peak of Ancient Celestial rank, she surely was locked in for good.

"Everyone! This is what happens when a novice challenges the great Legacy Disciples!" Sylara announced, turning to the crowd with an air of arrogance. "We cannot be blamed for the results of this duel. She asked for it herself."

She looked back at the scene with a flip of her moonlight hair only to freeze, her smug face morphing into shock. Just as she was about to order a full-scale attack, their Soul Lockdown began to shake and shattered with a single wave of Wu's arm.

"Impossible!" Sylara's jaw dropped, her confidence faltering. "Everyone, watch out!"

She immediately activated her Soul Barrier, expecting an immediate counter-attack, and everyone else followed suit, covering themselves with shields. To their surprise, Wu simply smiled, turning to Vyleria with interest. "Weren't you supposed to use that eye on me? Go ahead, show me your power."

All Legacy Disciples shared a panicked look, realizing their strategy had been exposed. They couldn't understand how Wu had figured them out, but it was already too late to change their plan.

"Quick! Attack her together!" Sylara yelled, her voice filled with urgency.

"No, wait!" Vyleria shouted, but her warnings were ignored. The Legacy Disciples activated their signature Soul Arts, creating a flurry of shiny blades, Soul Beams, and blinding chains.

Their attacks rushed toward Wu, threatening to tear her apart, but her smile only grew wider.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you unless you make me," she said softly as the attacks collided with her chest. A brilliant explosion ensued, obscuring everything from sight. When the dust settled, Wu was nowhere to be found.

"Where is she?" Sylara's eyes frantically scanned the area, her heart pounding.

"Over there!" another Legacy Disciple pointed to the other end of the arena.

"How did she...?" Sylara's eyes widened as she saw Wu waving at her before disappearing again.

"There!" .

"No, she's over there!"

"By the gods, where is she?!"

"Above us!"

The Legacy Disciples scrambled around the arena, looking in every direction. Every time they spotted her, she was already elsewhere.

"Come on, use your Eye of Truth," Wu's voice echoed right by Vyleria's ear. "If you don't do it, I'm going to kill them."

Vyleria almost jumped, her face pale as she turned around, but Wu was already gone. She reappeared behind Lia with a Soul Dagger in her hand and slit her throat in front of everyone.

"Lia!" Sylara screamed across the arena, but it was too late. The blade pierced through her body without spilling any blood and Wu cut off a big chunk of Lia's Soul.

"Ahhhh!" Lia screamed just before collapsing to the ground, unconscious. Wu only smiled at Vyleria and ate the Soul in her hand with a satisfied smack of her lips.

"She ate her Soul!" Tully cried out in fear, her body trembling in terror. "We need to kill her, or we will die!"

She didn't wait for anyone as a pair of black wings grew on her back and she launched at Wu, her Soul Power bursting from her fists.

"Tully, no!" Vyleria warned again, but she didn't listen. Tully's fist collided with Wu's face, and the resulting explosion was so intense it tore their Soul Barriers to pieces, pushing everyone else to the end of the Arena.

It was one of the most powerful Soul Arts at Tully's disposal, the Soul First, but even that wasn't enough to defeat their opponent. When they looked at the scene, Wu was completely unscathed while half of Tully's body was missing. Their colleague couldn't even scream as she was killed on the spot.

"I told you what I want," Wu said coldly, fixing her gaze on Vyleria's red eye. "Use your Eye of Truth, or I'll keep killing."

"Vyleria! Why haven't you used it yet?!" Sylara screamed in panic. "She'll kill us all. Hurry!"

"What can my Eye of Truth do?! She is too powerful!" Vyleria retorted loudly, her voice cracking. "We can only surrender! That's our only chance for survival!"

The whole Arena booed her from the stands, their jeers echoing throughout the venue.

"We cannot surrender! We are the Legacy Disciples!" Sylara disagreed firmly and jumped in front of Vyleria with a Soul Sword in her hand. "Do it! We will protect you while you discover her secrets!"

"But—"

"Enough talking, you fool!" Sylara interrupted her, her voice tinged with anger. "Don't let Lia's and Tully's deaths go to waste! Do it!"

Vyleria's hands trembled as she reached for her eyepatch, ripping it off her face. Her uncovered eye was fully black as if swallowed by evil itself. It was an unnerving sight, and even Wu felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Go ahead, show me what you are capable of," Wu encouraged her with interest. "I won't attack as you scan my Soul."

Vyleria didn't hesitate any longer as a dark light shone from her eye, and the whole world around her turned black. She could no longer see anything besides the Soul Power gathered in everyone's souls.

Wu's Soul was different from everyone else's. Although still in human shape, her Soul was a swirling vortex of rainbow-colored energy. It had no center, no beginning, or ending. It was a chaotic storm of unparalleled strength, one that would leave even the most powerful elders speechless.

Vyleria opened her mouth wide as she switched to her normal eye. But before she could warn anyone, Wu appeared right in front of her, effortlessly breaking through Sylara's defenses. She swiftly extended three fingers to Vyleria's Eye of Truth and pierced her skull.

"I'm counting on you," Wu muttered in a gentle voice, just before she ripped out Vyleria's eye.

"Aaaaaaahh!!!"

***

"Without further ado, let the duel... commence!"

Just as Castellan Zephyr announced the beginning of the duel, the Legacy Disciples prepared to scatter as planned when they suddenly felt immense Soul Power explode behind them. They immediately turned around in alert only to see Vyleria fall onto her knees with dark blood dripping down her cheek.

"Aaaaaahh!" A soul-piercing scream came out of her throat, so loud and painful everyone present felt their Soul tremble.

"What happened?!" Sylara's eyes widened, her stomach dropping as she stared at Vyleria's bleeding eye.

"My... My Eye of Truth..." Vyleria's voice was barely above a whisper and she wasn't able to finish her thought. Her eye activated on its own and now pulsed ominously, emitting waves of inky darkness.

She looked up while ignoring the pain just before a terrifying beam of dark Soul Power shot upward, tearing the skies apart. The once sunny day was consumed by shadows and darkness descended upon the arena.

The Castellan Zephyr was at a loss at what to do and Wu took advantage of the distraction. She launched at Sylara's group with Soul Power gathered in her hands and threw eight punches that slammed at their backs. They couldn't even react before the energy wave hit the disciples with the force of a mountain, instantly slamming them across the arena like ragdolls. They collided with the barriers, their bodies limp and devoid of any resistance.

The audience gasped, a chilling silence descending on the arena. Everyone's eyes fell on Wu who didn't seem to be done, slowly approaching Vyleria with a stoic expression.

"Stop! Stop the duel!" The Castellan Zephyr finally acted, slamming his Sacred Staff as he descended to the ground. The beam of darkness was effectively suppressed and Wu took this opportunity to walk up, gently lifting Vyleria's chin.

"So this is the hidden power of your eye," Wu murmured as she forced Vyleria to look into her eyes. "It is too much for you to handle. Let me help you with that."

Wu aimed three fingers into Vyleria's Eye of Truth, causing her to shiver as memories began flooding into her mind. She realized whatever happened earlier wasn't real, but she couldn't do anything to stop her.

"Aaaaaghhh!"