The atmosphere shifted dramatically, as if the entire space had been plunged into the depths of the ocean. The mad cultists, suddenly aware of the change, held their breath and began to retreat slowly.
In that moment, I recalled a passage from Song of Nightmares:
「 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.
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-novelhall.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.