Reincarnated With The Strongest System

When William felt that they were no longer in danger, he landed on the ground while carrying Chloee in her arms.

"Sixth Master, can you stand?"

"Un. But, I still need to lean on you for the time being."

"Okay."

Chloee sighed as she weakly rested her head on William's chest, while the latter held her waist to help support her body, so that she could lean on him properly.

Both of them stared in the distance where Ahriman's Giant Body was located. Although they were quite far away, they could still feel the fluctuations of magical energy as the battle between the candidates intensified.

"I hope that they kill each other," Chloee said as she narrowed her eyes. "Wouldn't that be wonderful if it really happened?"

"Well, we can dream," William replied with a wry smile on his face. He knew that even if Adam and the crown bearer were both to die in battle, there were many other possible candidates that could take their place.

Right now, the battle had become a free-for-all, with the Demon Army, as well as the Demon Candidates fighting each other for the possession of the Crown.

The Demon Army wasn't stupid. They knew that they were being used as living sacrifices in order to unlock the seals that were placed on the Crown of Darkness. Since that was the case, they would join the battle for the possession of the Crown, and kill everyone that stopped them from doing so.

A three-way battle for the Crown of Darkness started.

One faction supported the crown bearer, while the second supported Adam. The last one was the Demon Army being commanded by Felix.

All of them knew that if a good opportunity presented itself, they would not hesitate to grab the Crown that would decide their destiny with their own two hands.

From a good distance away, the Half-Elf and the Fairy who was weakly leaning on his body looked at the battle with solemn expressions on their faces.

'Is there really nothing that I can do?' William sighed internally as the power of the Heroic Avatar slowly left his body. Right now, his strength was at the peak of the Myriad Rank with his Vampire Progenitor Job Class.

However, having that kind of strength was not enough to win the battle that was right in front of him.

'Should I use my last resort?' William frowned as he weighed the pros and cons of what he was about to do. In the end, he knew that this was the only way in order to turn the tide of battle in his favor. However, for that to happen, he would need to wait for the right opportunity to strike.

'I only have one shot at this, I better make it count,' William thought as he clenched his right fist tightly.

Since Celine was part of his Familia, he could tell that she was currently safe. He already tried to recall her using the power of their bond, but something was preventing her from appearing by his side.

'It must be some kind of law, similar to the chains that bind Ahriman to this place.' William's frown deepened as he once again activated his Familia Fusion with Celine, who was currently on the palm of the Giant Demon's hand.

It was at this moment when he remembered the conversation he had with Baba Yaga several days ago.

—--

"Master is my woman," William replied. "I will take full responsibility and ensure that I make her happy."

"Bold words, but can you really do it?"

"I will."

Baba Yaga's witchy chuckle reached William's ears as she stared down at him.

"I will, doesn't mean that you can back it up," Baba Yaga stated. "Words are merely words, after all. When the sky truly falls, and this world is shrouded in Darkness, the words 'I will', may not be enough to ensure her safety."

William faced Baba Yaga's stare head-on. "I will do everything in my power to keep her away from harm. I have the ability to do that."

"Do you?" A contemptuous chuckle escaped Baba Yaga's lips. "Believe me boy, fighting against a Demigod will be the least of your worries. You will be fighting against a Prophecy that is already set in stone. Even with all of your trump cards combined, I'm afraid that it won't be enough, once the Heir of Darkness is born."

—--

The Half-Elf bit his lip in frustration. Back then, he was confident that he could overcome whatever obstacles came his way.

He didn't fear the Demon Lord, or his army. He believed that even if two Demigods of the Demon Realm banded together, he would still be able to do something about it.

Unfortunately, he wasn't facing Demigods, but a Pseudo-God, as well as a bonafide God of Darkness, who had created the Demon Race.

The more he thought about it, the more Baba Yaga's words hit him, and the more he understood that he really was being delusional when he thought that he could single-handedly protect the person that was important to him.

"Even if this Prophecy is already set in stone, what of it? As long as I draw breath, I will protect the people that are important to me even if…"

William felt his cheeks burn as he remembered the words that he said in order to reassure Celine's Master that he will be able to protect her. The reply that the old witch gave him then resonated inside his head.

—--

"How noble of you, but what if it's still not enough?" Baba Yaga asked. "What if after you have sacrificed everything? Your memories, your love, and those who loved you. What if after sacrificing them all, you still fail to protect those that are important to you? What then?"

"If… if after sacrificing everything, and I still fail to protect those that are important to me then I will struggle until the bitter end," William said with his eyes closed.

—----

That was the promise he had made back then, and it was now time to prove that he wasn't all talk.

'Yes. I will struggle until the end.' William took a deep breath as he calmed his senses. 'There's no use worrying about these things. I can only do what I need to do and that is to save Master and escape this place.'

William then gazed down on Chloee, who to his surprise was also gazing up at him.

"Sixth Master, lend me your power," William said as he looked at her with a serious expression on his face.

Chloee nodded her head in understanding. Even though William didn't specifically say what she needed to do, she had once lent her power to him when facing off against Apophis in the Deadlands.

—---

Fortaare Desert…

"Well, I guess it's time for us to go," Elliot said as he patted Conan's shoulder. "William needs us."

"Kekeke." Conan chuckled as he gazed at Princess Aila who had a worried look on her face. "Don't worry. We will be back before dinner time. Make sure to leave some food to us."

Princess Aila nodded her head. "Be careful, both of you."

Shannon gave the two familiars a side-long glance before nodding her head at the two of them. She was currently in the middle of painting William's struggles in the Holy Land of Darkness, which allowed everyone in the room to see what the Half-Elf was currently going through.

Elliot and Conan exchanged a glance before firmly nodding their heads in unison.

"Familiar Fusion!"