Reincarnated With The Strongest System

"Give up?"

"..."

'Is he really not dead?' William asked as he looked at the Storm Wolf whose eyes had turned completely white. 

Sun Wukong poked its head using his golden staff, but Randall was out cold.

"Welp, maybe I should whack it one more time in order to wake it up?" Sun Wukong pondered while rubbing his chin. "I guess I'll just do that."

As if sensing its impending doom, the Storm Wolf suddenly regained its consciousness and stared at the Monkey King in fear, as it tried to prop its body off the ground, but the golden staff that was pressed against its head, held it in place.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sun Wukong asked in a teasing tone. "My boy, Will, wants to enter the Hall of Thunder. You're going to take us there, right?"

Randall nodded its head like a hen pecking rice. It was afraid that if it said no, the Monkey King would introduce it to a new world of pain. Even with its lightning-fast speed, it wasn't able to even dodge the incoming attacks, as if it was being held in place by an invisible force.

Knowing that escape was not possible, the Storm Wolf decided to just give up and allow William to enter the Hall of Thunder that it was protecting.

After being released from Sun Wukong's hold, the Storm Wolf raised its head toward the sky and howled.

A minute later, all the lightning in the heavens congregated together to form a silver-gate that hovered in the sky. An emblem of a lightning bolt was embedded in its center, marking it as the entrance to the Hall of Thunder that the Half-Elf was seeking.

"Go," Randall said in an almost pleading voice. "I didn't lie to you when I said that trying to go inside it is useless. You will soon understand that you have taken this trip in vain."

Sun Wukong just smiled as he somersaulted towards the gate and kicked it open. After the Monkey King entered, the gate immediately closed before returning to the storm clouds that hid it from plain sight.

—---

"This is as far as I will go," Sun Wukong said. "Just call me again when something interesting comes up, okay?"

"Thank you, your Excellency," William replied. "I will definitely ask for your help again once I encounter something that is beyond my capabilities."

Sun Wukong laughed before returning to the Celestial Realm. For now, the Monkey King would visit the peach gardens and look for something good to eat.

As William walked across the empty hallways, he noticed that the Hall of Thunder was truly a dreary place. 

He could not feel anything from it. Only a sense of nothingness, as if it had been abandoned for a very long time.

As he walked past the murals, he could see images of times long forgotten. A time when the Gods of Thunder and Lightning roamed the heavens, making everyone's hearts tremble in their wake.

After walking for some time, he arrived at what seemed to be an altar. 

Judging from its looks, William was sure that this had once been a very important place, where people visited to pay homage to the Gods and communicate with them to seek their counsel.

As William stared at the emptiness around him, a small chirp reached his ears.

The chirping sound continued, and the Half-Elf scratched his head in confusion because the sound was coming from his Thousand Beast Domain.

Of course, he already knew who the chirper was, so he decided to summon the little guy to see what it wanted.

"Aethon, come," William ordered and a small portal appeared. 

The little Wren that had followed William in his journey chirped happily before landing on his shoulder.

"Okay, why are you being lively today?" 

"Chirp!"

"Because you just felt like it?"

"Chirp!"

William chuckled because it had been a while since he had asked Aethon to do anything for him. The Wren usually spent its time inside the Thousand Beast Domain hanging out with the friends he had made along the way.

After a while, the little wren flew towards the altar and landed on top of it. It then chirped at William telling him to come closer.

Since he had nothing better to do, the Half-Elf decided to humor the little guy and stood in front of the Altar with his arms crossed.

"Well, I am here," William said with a smile. "What do you want me to do?"

"Chirp!"

"Hit the altar with lightning?" 

"Chirp!"

Aethon flapped its wings and circled William twice before landing on his shoulder. 

"Okay, here goes nothing." William pointed his finger at the altar and shot out a lightning bolt. 

The moment the lightning bolt hit the altar, tendrils of lightning spread throughout the entire room, making the runes that were inscribed on the walls glow brightly.

Soon, William was enveloped by a blinding light, which forced him to shield his eyes. 

When the light disappeared, the Half-Elf found himself in a mountainous region, surrounded by beautiful scenery. 

Suddenly, he heard the sound of two people speaking, which prompted him to look behind him. 

The moment his gaze landed on the beautiful lady with long, light-blue hair, and purple eyes, William felt his breath catch in his throat.

A glance was enough to tell him that the lady in front of him was not Human, due to the two purple horns on her head. Even so, William didn't find them out of place. In fact, he found them quite charming.

A ringing sound fluttered in the wind, as the silver bell on her neck shook softly. William was very familiar with that bell, for it was the same one that he had given to the one that helped raise him since he was a child. 

As William stood rooted in place, the handsome man who was standing beside the beautiful lady sighed as he held her hand firmly.

"Are you sure that you won't change your mind?" the handsome man said. "I will be lonely without you by my side."

The beautiful lady chuckled as he looked up at the man who was taller than her by a head. 

"You of all people will not be lonely," the beautiful lady said. "I'm sure that after I leave, you will sneak inside a nymph's abode and trick her into spending the night with you."

"... is my reputation that bad?"

"Very bad."

The man scratched his head helplessly as he gazed into her beautiful eyes that meant the world to him. "Will you really not change your mind, Amalthea? The world still needs you. I need you."

The beautiful lady shook her head as she raised her hand to caress the handsome man's face. 

"Don't worry, I will watch over you from the stars." Amalthea promised. "I will also leave this with you. You can wear, or carry, it wherever you go. This will protect you in my place."

The beautiful lady presented a robe made of skin to the handsome man. 

The man accepted it and held it in his arms with great care.

"Does it have a name?" the handsome man asked.

Amalthea nodded. "Its name is Aegis. Wearing it will give you a suit of armor. If you carry it, it will transform into a shield that will repel any attacks that fall on its surface. This is my last gift to you, so please, use it well."

"I will take good care of it," the handsome man promised.

The beautiful lady nodded her head as she resolutely took two steps back from the handsome man whom she cared for. "It's time for me to go."

William didn't know if it was just a coincidence or not, but the beautiful lady glanced in his direction, and gave him a loving smile that seemed to hold a promise.

A promise that she would definitely keep no matter how long it took.