Against Heaven's Will

Murmurs of disbelief broke a deafening silence as the audacity of Emi's claim sent ripples throughout the chamber. The Legacy Disciples were not only the Elders' most prized students, but they also represented the pinnacle of their teachings, each having been carefully handpicked due to their exceptional talent in the Soul Arts. They were also regarded as the strength of the future generation that will take over command of their Succubus Race once their respective Elders retire from their position. If those Legacy Disciples were to lose against some random novice from another Realm, the reputation of the whole Race would be affected.

The Queen predicted the incoming storm and swiftly cast a soundproof barrier surrounding the podium. "Emi, do you understand the severity of your request?" the Queen asked grimly.

Emi couldn't even respond before Elder Lysandra rose from her chair, her eyes flashing with anger. "That's it! She clearly called us here to waste our time. Your Majesty, I know you can see the grave implications of this madness. Emi is not merely challenging our students but the very reputation and future of our esteemed Succubus Race. We cannot allow such recklessness."

"I would understand if you challenged one of us, but this is ridiculous," said Elder Caelia, nodding in approval. "Does anyone here truly believe that one novice, no matter how talented, can face the combined might of all our Legacy Disciples? I don't even think any of the Elders could achieve such a feat, not from the lack of knowledge or experience, but purely from the limitations of one's Soul."

Elder Nyx leaned forward, her eyes narrow. "Indeed. Even if Emi's disciple has somehow mastered the Soul Arts faster than others, the soul cannot grow indefinitely. There is only so much power it can wield, and no amount of training can overcome the natural boundaries. If this is a joke, Emi, it is in poor taste."

Emi's smile was as calm and confident as ever. "Joking is not my style, Elder Nyx. Wu's strength and abilities are far beyond any novice, and she has only scratched the surface of her potential."

One of the older Elders, with multiple wrinkles on her forehead and who had remained silent the whole time, finally spoke. "Elder Emi, even if she has the potential of a Constellation, we still wouldn't agree to this challenge. Do you realize the implications in case she won, and the results of this duel spread to other Realms? We would become a laughing stock and our founder would lose face. None of us would be able to handle the aftermath."

All the other Elders nodded firmly, their expression grave at the mention of their founder. The main reason their race was highly respected for primarily excelling in Soul Arts was entirely thanks to that woman. Not only did she become a Constellation in a record five thousand years, but she also rapidly climbed the Constellation Ranking, currently occupying the top one-hundredth position.

Normally that would be an achievement to be proud of, but all the Elders knew what their founder had to do to claim this record. They witnessed with their own eyes how many lives were lost in the process, and how much blood and tears were shed.

Their founder was a ruthless existence, a monster that would not hesitate to do whatever was necessary to achieve her goal. If she learned that her race lost its reputation because they had allowed their best talents to be defeated by an outsider, she would not hesitate to punish them severely. Even the Queen, who was the strongest amongst the Elders, would not dare to go against their founder. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The Queen's gaze remained steady, but her voice was soft and thoughtful. "Emi, Elders do have a point. The Legacy Disciples represent the future of our Race. No matter the result, I cannot allow you to challenge all of them together. Pick one, that's all I can do for you."

Emi remained calm despite all the accusations and said politely, "Your Majesty, I understand everyone's concerns, but I never wished to ruin our race's reputation with my proposal. It was actually the opposite. I wanted to show everyone who doubted the strength of our race that we can develop new geniuses that can reach our founder's level in the future."

Her words caused a lot of commotion among the Elders.

"Ridiculous! Do you really compare this brat to a Constellation?! Have you already gone mad?!"

"Our founder is not someone a mere novice can match!"

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Emi calmly waited until the uproar died down and addressed the Queen, "If they continue to disrupt me, I will never reach the point I'm making."

The Queen glared at the Elders to silence them and assured, "Don't worry, if anyone else raises their voice to disturb you again, I will personally throw them out of the chamber. Now, explain yourself."

"I meant what I said earlier. I want to develop a talent equal to our founder and I believe Wu has the potential to achieve that goal," Emi doubled down. "Despite being born outside our Realm, she successfully refined our Bloodline which qualifies her to become part of our race. According to our sacred rules you value so much, she can also become a Legacy Disciple after receiving the founder's blessing."

The Queen raised her eyebrows, slowly understanding what Emi had in mind. "Are you seriously planning on appointing an outsider as your Legacy Disciple?"

Emi merely shrugged. "Can you blame me? I allowed Wu to spar with my Legacy Disciple after just a week of training, hoping to test the effects of my teaching. Who knew Wu would completely slam my pride and joy into the ground in a matter of seconds? I still can't believe what I saw that day."

"What…?" the Queen's eyes widened.

Emi continued, her tone somber, "My Legacy Disciple was arrogant and underestimated Wu, thinking she was nothing more than a weak mortal. I was also skeptical, so I allowed them to fight again, but the results didn't change. In fact, my Legacy Disciple lost even faster than before. In a matter of seconds, her mind was broken and she was thrown around the training room like a ragdoll. Her nose was broken, several ribs were fractured, and both her legs were shattered, rendering her immobile. When I checked her Soul, it was heavily injured and I barely managed to save her. That's when I realized the potential of my disciple was nothing compared to Wu's talent."

The Elders and the Queen stared at her speechlessly, unable to believe her story.

"I wanted her to fight all the Legacy Disciples at the same time since I know challenging them one by one could cripple our best talent. If Wu were to triumph in this duel, I would ask the founder to bless her so she can become my new Legacy Disciple, adding to our Race's legacy and strength. It doesn't matter who wins or loses as both sides belong to the same party," Emi explained further, sweeping her gaze across the Elders. "I was trying to spare your disciples since we are close to the Soul Test, but since you are so against my idea, maybe I should challenge each of you individually."

The Soul Test was the moment every Legacy Disciple was waiting for every year. It was a test performed by the founder herself, which allowed her to determine an individual's potential. Since the founder returned to their Realm only for a few days every year, the window to impress her was small, and all Elders aimed to prepare their disciples for those days. If what Emi said was true, Wu could potentially injure their Legacy Disciples, ruining their chances of earning the founder's favor.

"Now I understand where your confidence came from, but I must warn you. Fighting all nine Legacy Disciples would be a dangerous challenge, even if Wu is as strong as you claim. A single miscalculation could damage her Soul beyond repair or even cost her life," the Queen said seriously.

"I am aware. As a matter of fact, I also warned Wu about the risks, yet she was confident in her strength. Being her Master, I can only accept her wishes and trust her," Emi replied honestly.

The Queen remained silent for a moment, causing all Elders to stand up anxiously.

"Your Majesty, you can't possibly think of accepting her request? The risks of this duel are immeasurable!" Elder Lysandra pleaded, but her words didn't change the inevitable.

"As Emi said, the results of this duel won't affect our Race negatively since it's entirely an internal affair. I believe it's a good opportunity for the Legacy Disciples to learn teamwork, which I heard they lack," the Queen replied as she stood up from her golden throne. "I have already decided. Bring your disciples to the arena. You all have one hour."