Beyond the Eternity

「 There was a certain \'figure\' feared among the mad ones. 」

「 \'It\' appeared only when the Master of the Ward decides it was needed. 」

「 If you meet that \'entity\', then surely you won\'t survive. 」

"Damnit. Why is that thing here?"

Someone among the cultist muttered. How long did the footsteps last? The shadow of a giant finally stepped out from within the darkness.

A Iron helmet shaped like a pyramid.

Three metres tall with a body reminiscent of a bull.

A giant sword shaped like a kitchen knife.

If there was a master of the Secret Cult who commanded the cultists to capture players to use them sacrifices for the goddess, then there was undoubtedly someone who carried out the execution of those players.

It was the \'Executioner\'.

[Exclusive skill, Black Box has activated.]

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[ « Soul Status » ]

Name: Executioner

Primary Attributes: King of Ruthless Slaughter

Skills: Execution Lv. 10, Guillotine Lv. 10, Strengthening Lv. 10

Divine Authorities: Story Protection

Overall Stats: Strength Lv. 50, Agility Lv. 10, Physique Lv. 30, Magic Power Lv. 15

Description: The Agent of the God worshipped by the Black Apostles, who wish to age of a new Epoch. His only weakness is his Agility.

*The target is protected by the current story

*The target cannot be killed.

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It was an absurd status window, with Strength at Lv. 80. But what truly caught my eye was the divine protection \'Story Protection\' which stood out like a sore thumb.

It was the characteristic of a character with a crucial role within the story. One could describe it as a type of plot armour that made them almost impossible to kill.

No matter how I looked at it, that thing was an opponent I could never defeat in a direct confrontation—not even if I had a thousand tries.

Perhaps I could use Zero One sequence \'1\' to rewrite the very laws that protected the Executioner.

But could I survive the backlash of altering the story\'s probability?

Most likely, my soul would be ripped apart so thoroughly that even the Joker card couldn\'t revive me.

In short, I had no choice but to run.

The Executioner spoke with a deep, scratchy voice while excluding a heavy amount of aura.

[Wh y is the sacrifice al iv e?]

"Sorry, sir. We were just..."

[Wh y is the sacrifice al iv e?]

"T-That..."

The mad cultists trembled.

This was the reason they captured players. Because they knew the consequences of what would happen if they failed. In an instant, the Executioner grabbed the head of one of the cultist and effortlessly lifted him up.

"Wait! Please..."

Splat!

The Executioner tightened his grip and the cultist\'s skull was crushed like a watermelon. Blood dripped down his gauntlet as the cultist\'s body went limp, dangling like a broken doll.

The cultists froze, none dared to even move or speak.

[Wh y is the sacrifice al iv e?]

The Executioner\'s voice rumbled again, like a death sentence echoing through the corridor.

What could the cultists possibly do in the face of such overwhelming power?

The remaining cultists began to mumble frantic players, hoping for salvation that would never come. One of them collapsed to their knees and clutched the hem of the Executioner\'s bloodstained cloak.

"P-please! Forgive us! We—"

Swish!

In a blur, the Executioner swung his sword in one hand, and the pleading cultist was sliced in half before they could even finish their sentence.

The others screamed and scattered in all directions.

At the same time,

[AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!]

The Executioner went into a frenzy and wildly swung the giant blade around.

"Kuak!"

"Ackk!"

One by one, the mad cultists were cut down by the sweeping strikes of the giant blade shaped like a kitchen knife.

A sword filled with enough power to instantly turn a grown man into porridge.

There was no need to explain what happened next.

I quickly put distance between myself and the falling bodies, slipping through the broken door the cultists had entered from.

Kwang!

A loud sound erupted and I turned back.

The Executioner had slammed his sword deep into the ground and was struggling to pull it out. Meanwhile, the mad cultists were almost mutilated, with their bodies resembling broken lily flowers.

He killed all of them in just ten seconds.

I frowned.

If that thing caught me, I\'d be nothing but a bloody pulp. But with him around, I didn\'t mind turning this into a game of cat and mouse.

A deadly game where I couldn\'t afford to be caught even once.

So instead of running,

"Hey, Jackass! Don\'t you know you have to pull with your hips, not just your hands?"

I smirked and teased him.

The Executioner became enraged by my blunt provocation and roared out.

"Alright. Ready? Start!"

The game of cat and mouse began at the fullest.

The moment I darted into the narrow hallway, I could feel the floor shake as the Executioner charged after me. The distance between us was 15 metres apart, but he was comfortably closing that distance with each step he took.

"Damn, he\'s fast for someone that size."

I glanced back just in time to see the giant swing his oversized blade again.

The sword cleaved through the stone wall like paper and sent debris flying in all directions. I barely managed to dodge a chunk of it.

I would\'ve been in a disadvantage in a normal scenario because of my low stats, but he won\'t be able to use his monstrous-like movement in this narrow space.

[Your stamina is rapidly depleting...]

"I know, I know!"

I growled at the intrusive system message as sweat poured down my face. My legs screamed in protest, but there was no time to stop. If I slowed down for even a second, I would be flattened.

As I twisted around a corner, I skidded to a halt.

A dead-end.

At the same time,

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Executioner stormed forward, his bloodied blade carving deep grooves in the ground as it dragged behind him.

The situation looked bad. At this rate, I would be caught. Even so,

Grin—

I smiled. This was my plan from the beginning.

My gaze locked onto the crumbling ceiling above.

"C\'mon, big guy! Is that really your top speed? At this rate, I might slip away if you don\'t catch me now."

[Sacrifice!]

Just as planned, the Executioner picked up the pace and rushed towards me with the speed of a bullet.

Simultaneously, I bent my knees, focusing all my strength and jumped. My fingers barely grasped the loose edge of the ceiling, but it was enough.

I pulled myself up into a small crevice just as the Executioner barreled into the wall at full speed.

Kwang!

A loud impact——

The ceiling collapsed in on itself, sending a cascade of rubble crashing down on top of him. All I could hear was the sound of falling stone, and then—silence.

Slowly, I climbed down and peeked through the cloud of debris to where the Executioner had been.

He was buried under a mountain of stone, with his iron helmet barely visible beneath the wreckage.

Without hesitation, I began to run the opposite direction.

The Executioner couldn\'t be killed as long as he remained within the story, but that didn\'t mean he couldn\'t be wounded, battered, or knocked out cold.

Of course, It was impossible to knock him out with my current stats.

But what about the Executioner himself? If his own momentum was used against him, then surely, he would knock himself out.

The walls were designed not to be destoryed by the players, but it was another story for the Executioner.

He won\'t be passed out for long though.

At the very least, I should be able to create distance while he was passed out.

Or so I thought.

Rumble! Rumble!

The giant slowly emerged from underneath the rumble and chased after me with the blade of execution.

Not even a single scratch.

In fact, he was not going to pass out from something like that.

Thud! Thud!

The Executioner rushed forward with his hand stretched to seize my head. He really wasn\'t cute at all.

I took a quick turn to avoid that stretched hand and ran along that path.

The stage for the Fifth Fable was a maze located underground, likely beneath a mansion. It wasn\'t surprising to encounter dead ends along the way. However, I was not worried.

[Personal skill, Black Box has activated.]

「 Left 」

「 Right 」

「 Right 」

「 Left 」

The Black Box was leading me down the correct path. It was as if I knew this place at the back of my head.

Even so, It didn\'t take long for the Executioner to close the distance between us.

Before the giant blade could be swung.

I leapt up the side of the corridor\'s wall, and rebounded off to gain height. Using the momentum, I vaulted over the Executioner\'s head and landed behind him.

The swing blade sliced the empty space instead.

"Hehe! What are you so slow, dude?"

Seizing the few seconds gained from that stunt, I swiftly slipped into a room and ducked into a cabinet.

I adjusted myself until I fitted into the gap in the cabinet.

It was the perfect hiding spot.

[You have entered a stealth zone.]

[Your presence will be erased as long as you remain in the \'cabinet\'.]

In the Fifth Fable, there were safe places where one could hide from the Mad ones. The cabinet was one of those safe spaces, but you can still be found if you remained in the same spot for too long.

It felt like I was inside one of those horror stories. So far, It hasn\'t been a good experience.

Thud! Thud!

Distant sounds of heavy footspots could be heard. That bastard was probably looking for me right about now.

Thud! Thud!

Those footsteps became louder as they came closer and closer.

Creak!

Finally, the room door slowly creaked open, and the shadow of the Executioner loomed outside the cabinet.

[Sacrif i c e?]

He started looking for me inside the room. At the same time, I controlled my breathing as much as possible.

I am the cabinet. I am the cabinet. I am the cabinet. Everything will be fine as long as I remained in the cabinet.

I kept repeating the same words inside my head as if to hypothesize myself.

I wasn\'t a protagonist like Soo Jinyoung or Song Jaewon, so it was impossible for a direct confrontation. In fact, both protagonists wouldn\'t be able to face the Executioner even If they were here.

There was even a sentence like this in Song of Nightmares.

「 No player or incarnation can face the Executioner in the Fifth Fable. 」

At that moment,

Thud! Thud!

The giant pyramid head stopped infront of the cabinet.

I could see the Executioner\'s crimson eyes from the cracks in the cabinet. It was as if he was looking directly at me.

Impossible. He shouldn\'t know I\'m here. I didn\'t want to accept it but that person was still looking this way.

... Shit!

I was about to kick the wood and run away, but I noticed something was off.

Huh? What is he doing? Why is he just standing there?

I narrowed my eyes.

The Executioner didn\'t make any moves to attack. He just continued to stare at the cabinet without moving.

How long did he stay like this? He continued to stare at the cabinet without moving.

Finally,

Thud! Thud!

The Executioner turned around and left the room, with the sound of his footsteps fading into the darkness.

I let out a sign of relief and came down from the cabinet.

I cautiously peeked outside the door, glancing left and right, but the Executioner had truly moved on. In fact, the silence that followed made it clear—I could no longer hear the sound of his footsteps.

But why did he suddenly leave? No matter how I thought about it, I couldn\'t answer that question.

At the very least, I managed to shake off that bastard. Discover more content at m,v l\'e-NovelBin.net

While being cautious and silent, I made my way across the hallway.

If I remembered correctly, defeating the master of the ward was the key to passing the Fable. However, reaching the boss meant I had to make my way to the third floor first.

But that also meant that I had to pass all the cultists on the way without drawing attention to myself, which ruled out the use of my revolver.

I should use the knife provided by the Fable. If I continued using the revolver, It would go against the plot of the Fable. Perhaps the system has already noticed the loophole, so I have to be as careful as possible.

I arrived in front of a massive double-handled metal door. This had to be the entrance to the first floor.

I slowly opened the door...

"!!"

And regretted it in the next instant.

One, two, three... no, hundreds of mad cultists were gathered there, as if they had been waiting for me.

All of them turned their bloodlusted eyes like a watchtower towards me.

"Sacrifice!"

"Catch him quickly!"

... Damnit, not good.

I stumbled backward, trying to turn and run, but instead, I collided with something solid. Had I just crashed into a wall?

"!!"

My body trembled.

An overwhelming sense of premonition and terror crawled its way into my heart.

I reluctantly raised my head and sure enough, the Executioner wearing a pyramid head was standing there.

[Sacrif i c e!]

The clenched fist of the giant was raised.

At that moment, I realised my mistake.

[Many of the constellations are laughing at your foolishness.]

[The constellation, Architect of Destruction sighs and shakes their head.]

I should\'ve never left the cabinet. No, It was impossible from the very start.

「 This was a story where the actor would be caught no matter what they tried. 」

Damnit. If It was like this, why did I try so hard?

The giant\'s fist slammed into my face and there was the sound of a great impact.

My vision shook uncontrollably as my body rotated like a bamboo dragonfly before the back of my head struck the floor.