"How is such a thing possible?" Lily couldn't help but ask, her voice brimming with shock. If no one in the same realm was able to withstand such an attack, then that would make Miko invincible against any opponent in the same realm.
"According to our Palace Master, only someone with a soul stronger than Miko's can resist the attack. If your soul is on the same level or weaker than his, you cannot resist its effects. Miko has a unique and very powerful soul variant, so it's almost guaranteed that his soul is stronger than someone in the same realm as him, but that's all I know." the Faerie explained a bit more before falling silent.
For almost all most soul arts, even if the defending soul was weaker, they would still be able to resist its affects. It took a much stronger soul to overwhelm a weaker one, as defending was much easier than attacking when it came to soul battles. This was common knowledge, and Lily had never heard of such a strong soul art which seemed to defy all common knowledge regarding soul arts.
Lily was going to ask something else, but fell silent as she noticed Miko approaching them. His white pupils sent a shiver down her spine, and coupled with the incredibly lethal soul art he just revealed, Lily could not help but be intimidated by his presence.
Miko arrived before the group of Faeries and Honorable Alliance youths, the latter who stared back warily at him. His white pupils returned to his normal brown color once again, and his stoic expression was quickly replaced by a nonchalant smile. He had just looked like a soul-deity that could smite all of creation, but now looked like a simple kid, making the Honorable Alliance youths feel quite odd at the moment.
"You're from the Heavenly Lightning Sect, right?" Miko asked, his voice full of boisterous excitement.
Lily couldn't help but stare in silence for a moment, still coming to terms with everything that had happened, and the sudden shift in attitude from Miko. It was like she was dealing with a completely different person when compared to himself just a few minutes ago.
"Uhmmmm, before that, could you answer one of my questions?" Lily replied, her voice steady but weak from her fatigue.
"Sure, what is it?" Miko asked as he placed his hands on his hips.
"Who are…all of you?" Lily asked as she gazed at Miko and the Faeries. She knew they were Faeries from their appearance, but did not know why they were in this ancient realm. She had to make sure of who they were before she answered any questions of theirs.
"My name is Ishea, and these are my sisters from the Seraphic Soul Palace," one of the Faeries stepped up and answered before Miko could reply. He had a knack of ranting for longer than needed, and so she decided to make things quick.
"The Seraphic Soul Palace?" some of the Honorable Alliance youths exclaimed. It was a well renowned Faerie power, and one of the most powerful soul sects on the Divine Martial Continent.
"And this is Miko Varis, a human who had been permitted to train with us in the Faerie Frostlands," Ishea introduced Miko, who waved at the group before him with a wide grin on his face.
"Nice to meet ya," Miko exclaimed.
"Uhhhh, you too," Lily replied, still slightly confused at what was going on. "And why is your Seraphic Soul Palace here?" she asked.
"Your Alliance said there was some kind of danger, and asked us to enter this realm and help you all out," Miko replied before Ishea could start to explain. She sent a frosty glare at him, but he ignored it as he approached Lily and stood before her. "It seems like they were right, and you guys do need some help, but that's not the important thing right now. You're from the Heavenly Lightning Sect, right?" he asked again.
"Mmm, we are," Lily replied after a moment's hesitation. She finally knew they were not enemies of theirs and was able to freely answer his question.
"I knew it," Miko exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "So where's John?" he asked as his head swiveled around, as if looking for him in the nearby area.
"John? John Fenix?" Lily asked, surprised to hear the name brought up.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, where is he? He should be in this realm as well, right?" Miko nodded his head in excited confirmation.
"He…." Lily's voice trailed off, unsure of how to answer. She could tell Miko was close to John based on his questions and reactions, and had heard rumors of his fate.
"You must have noticed the trials that lead to this final area, as I'm assuming you went through them? The Meridian Forging, Heaven Tribulation, and Dao Transformation trials?" Lily asked.
"Mhm, we went through the Heaven Tribulation trial, although it was so easy it was boring," Miko replied.
"Well…John was apparently ambushed in front of those trials, and….knocked into the Dao Transformation trial," Lily explained the truth.
The Faeries near Miko gazed towards him with concerned expressions upon hearing the truth, as they knew how much Miko cared for the one he called John. A blank expression appeared on Miko's face before he turned around and faced the direction where they had come from, the direction towards the Heaven Tribulation and Dao Transformation trials.
"Hey old geezer, tell me if John is alive," Miko suddenly said, talking to no one. His words surprised and confused the others, although the Faeries seemed to be used to Miko talking to himself.
"No, I don't care how much effort it takes, tell me if he's alive, or don't blame me for not calling you master anymore," Miko exclaimed out loud, his words yet again directed to no one.
"What do you mean I don't call you Master? Geezer is close enough….fine, if you tell me if he's alive, I'll start calling you Master."
"No, no, no, don't try to haggle with me further. You're the one who's at my mercy, remember? You need a successor, not me. How about I dump you off right here right now and we'll see if you can find someone else like me."
"That's what I thought. Now tell me…is he alive? Oh he's alive. I figured as much. A mere Dao Transformation trial isn't strong enough to kill John. Thanks old geezer…"
The Honorable Alliance youths stared at Miko with stunned confusion as he had an entire conversation with himself, although half of the conversation was missing as if he were truly talking to someone. Miko suddenly turned around and walked back to the confused group, his expression free of any worry.
"John's fine, so you don't have to worry about him," Miko said to Lily, "I'm sure he'll be joining us before long. In the meantime, you should explain what exactly is going on here. Why were you fighting against the Monster Race?" Miko asked, changing the subject completely.
Lily stared at Miko in a stupor, unable to keep up with him and his constant changing questions and personas. It was as if she were truly dealing with a crazy person, only this crazy person was four years younger than her, yet somehow stronger than her. It was truly a conflicting feeling, one that she almost didn't know how to process.
Lily shook aside the feelings and began to explain what had occurred to the best of her knowledge, while the Faeries and Miko listened closely. Concerned expressions appeared on the Faeries faces, while an excited expression appeared on Mikos.
"Hahaha, the Monster Race, Forbidden Alliance and Barbarian Race geniuses have invaded? Sweet, now I'll finally be able to test the true limits of my new powers!" Miko exclaimed and laughed maniacally, confirming everyone's suspicions that he truly was insane.
