Beyond the Eternity

The hooded man bought me into a large space.

The vast space resembled a colosseum, with an ominous altar at its center. The players huddled in one corner, while the cultists stood by, intently observing the sacrificial ritual.

"N-No! P-Please wait!"

"Shut up!"

"Aaackk!"

One of the captives was dragged toward the center of the stage. With his powers as a player sealed, he could only scratch feebly at the sand, leaving faint marks as the cultists showed no mercy.

The hooded cultists tied the captive to the altar and hurriedly retreated to the crowds where they came from.

Thud! Thud!

In the next moment, the Executioner was seen approaching the man with a giant weapon of execution.

"No! No! No! No! Stay away from me!"

The man screamed in terror, thrashing desperately, but he couldn't break free. The Executioner ignored his despair and raised the oversized kitchen knife high into the air like a guillotine.

And then...

[Execution Lv. 10 has activated.]

Swish!

... brought it down in a smooth motion.

In an instant, the man was beheaded cleanly and his head powerlessly flew into the air, spinning like a bamboo dragonfly.

Blood flowed from the opened neck and slowly seeped into the altar.

Rumble!

The altar began to hum with a low, vibrating sound as it absorbed the blood, and casted a faint red glow across the room. At the same time, the hooded cultists repeatedly mumbled a chant in a language that I couldn't understand.

A chilling aura enveloped the entire space as if the atmospheric temperature had dropped by several degrees. All the other players shifted uncomfortably infront of that overwhelming violence, some turning pale, while others struggled to keep their composure.

"Kuak!"

"Ugh!"

Some even puked their guts out while others lost control and wet themselves. They already knew their fate. They were here to die as sacrifices in a ritual for a purpose they did not even know.

I frowned at the players who had lost their will to live.

Had these people completely given up already? Are they really that fragile? What am I even thinking? Not everyone has a 'Wall' to shield them or the strength of spirit to endure this.

"Tch."

I clicked my tongue.

Regardless, trying anything with these people was pointless. Helping them even felt like a burden.

But the blame wasn't theirs to bear. The real villains were the ones sacrificing them as offerings to a Witch.

[Many of the constellations that loves violence are becoming excited for the slaughter.]

The constellations watching the scene like some twisted form of entertainment were at fault as well.

"Next!"

A sudden shout echoed through the hall as two cultists dragged a woman toward the altar. Unlike the man before her, she was brutally mutilated— her fingers and toes severed, leaving her screaming in agony as her blood seeped into the altar.

"ARRRGGHHHH! IT HURTS! PLEASE NO!"

She continued to scream and thrash around for a long time before her body finally went limp.

After all her blood was drained from her body, the cultists hurriedly removed her corpse from the altar and tossed her aside like a broken doll that had served its intended purpose.

"N-NO! SOMEONE SAVE ME!"

Then they brought another player to that stand and killed that person too, in a different manner and extracted all the blood from the body.

One by one, the players were dragged to the altar and suffered the same fate, but they weren't killed the same way as the previous person.

If one person met their end by decapitation, the next would be strangled by a rope, while another would be impaled by sharp spikes. Some were even nailed by their limbs to large wooden stakes, fashioned in the shape of a cross.

The endless cycle of violence was so sickening that even I felt like vomiting.

[The constellations are disgusted by the senseless slaughter.]

[The constellation, Judge of War and Wisdom urges you to stop the senseless slaughter.]

The constellations urged me to act, but I had to hold back. Despite my feelings, I needed to wait a few more minutes for my preparations to take effect.

At that moment, an unexpected message appeared infront of me.

[A constellation has established their authority.]

What?

[A Sub Fable is being generated.]

+

[Sub Fable ### — Owl of Justice]

Type: Sub

Difficulty: ~

Clear Conditions: Stop the Sacrificial Ritual and deliver justice by killing all the Black Apostles.

Reward: 5,000 coins, Skill

Penalty: None

+

I narrowed my eyes at the sudden system message.

A Sub Fable? At a time like this?

If I remembered correctly, there shouldn't be any sub-stories within the main plot of the Fifth Fable. So why was something like this appearing before me?

... Oh right, I forgot the constellations could do something like this.

Stories were major events born from the branches of the <Tree of Beginnings>, which exists at a higher dimension known as the <Meta World> where all fables, myths, and legends converge into an endless tapestry of existence.

In simple terms, stories were fundamental to the natural laws of the universe, just like all living creatures must eventually die, an apple dropped from above would fall down, and 1+1=2. Under normal circumstances, these events were unalterable.

However, It's possible for beings like the Constellations to create stories within those stories to alter their flow and much higher Constellations could do much more.

Of course, It was only possible if they had enough 'status' to influence the story's probability.

From the message, it seems that the constellation behind this Sub Fable was the Judge of War and Wisdom, Athena. She would likely finds it unbearable to see a scene like this because of what she represents.

What should I do?

It wasn't time to act yet. But from what I can see, there's no penalty for this Sub Fable, which means I don't have to necessarily complete the Fable so I could just ignore it altogether. However, the bonus reward is rather intriguing.

5,000 coins didn't pique my interest since I had more than one million saved, but the thought of acquiring a new skill certainly did.

Surely, a skill from a mythological constellation would be valuable, even if it were of low grade.

And what kind of constellation was Athena?

She was the goddess of war and wisdom. Meaning, the skills within her arsenal would revolve around that theme.

Was there anyone who would reject a free lunch?

There was no reason to refuse such a free lunch, especially since I intended to eliminate all these scum of the earth from the get-go. It seems I have to make some slight alternations to my plans.

Either way, the stages was set and all important actors were present.

Should I start it?

Just as I was about to pull out the revolver hidden beneath my clothes, something caught my eye from the corner of my vision.

"?!"

At the center of the altar, a woman was bound to a stake.

Like the other players, her wrists and ankles were nailed to a wooden cross. Yet, the wave of familiarity that struck me upon seeing her sent chills down my spine.

Platinum hair, porcelain skin and gentle features.

I wanted to deny it, but there was no mistaking it—this was Angelica.

Surely, she wasn't dead? From what I could see, she wasn't showing any signs of moving, perhaps unconscious from blood loss or even... worse.

"You're curious, aren't you, why we use different methods to kill?" The hooded man besides me sneered. "The Witch is rather selective about her offers. Death represents the true beings of all living beings and also how you have lived your life. The Witch of the Night is the embodiment of that truth." he said with a voice filled with dark reverence.

"Just as witches were burned at the stake during the Fourth Epoch for their knowledge of magic, each person here faces a fate befitting their sins and virtues. Killers are beheaded, liars have their tongues cut off and thieves would have their hands severed. As for that woman…" he gestured toward Angelica, with a flicker of something like respect in his eyes.

"She sacrificed herself for people she barely knew—a noble act from a heart of gold. For such purity, they are nailed to the cross to represent the better side of humanity. To be honest, I didn't expect to find such a genuine soul here. I was skeptical, but it seems her heart truly is pure."

Angelica sacrificed herself?

Looking back, It was obvious she would do something like that. Even in the old world, she was someone that embodied the concept of a protagonist.

But did she truly deserve to be nailed to a stake for such an act of kindness?

Most likely, even someone like her didn't want to die but she sacrificed herself despite that.

At that moment, a massive amount of killing intent slowly radiated out from my shoulders.

[Personal skill, 𝕺𝖒𝖓𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖂𝖆𝖑𝖑 has activated.]

[𝕺𝖒𝖓𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖂𝖆𝖑𝖑 has failed to keep your emotions in check.]

An overwhelming fury coursed through me like the unseen hand of an invisible giant. Even the omniscient wall couldn't fully supress this sensation within me.

Have I ever been this angry before?

I couldn't tell if it was because of what they'd done to Angelica, or if I'd simply reached my breaking point.

The hooded man stroked his chin thoughtfully as he continued, "As much as I admire her sacrifice, isn't it ultimately meaningless? Those people will still die as sacrifices, so in the end, her actions are empty. Hahaha! After all, not everyone is destined to be a hero. I came to understand that long ago."

In that instant, something truly snapped from within.

"Kekekek!"

Laugher emerged. It was so sudden and out of place that even the hooded man was shocked.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Have you gone insane?"

I turned to him, with a grin spreading across my face. "Oh, not at all. In fact, I have a question. Humor me, would you? Consider it my… last request."

The man scoffed. "Ask away. Before I became a Black Apostle, I was a priest of the Veteran Church so It's strange for me to hear the sins and words of the people. Since this is your final moments, I shall hear your final words."

"Perfect. Then tell me this: if this world was a story… what role do you think I'd play?"

The man's gaze wavered, as if he could not understand. "Role? What nonsense are you spouting?"

Still smiling, I moved closer and the man flinched backwards as if he had sensed something amiss. But even if he'd realized it, it was already too late.

My maniacal smile widened even further. "Nonsense, is it? I suppose you're right. It's impossible for me have the protagonist's role. But can't I just take another role that suits me better? By the way, have you heard of something called divine retribution?"

"What?"

I raised the revolver hidden in my clothes and the hooded man's eyes widened to the maximum.

"Wait—"

Before he could utter another word, my index finger squeezed the trigger, and unleashed a blinding flash of light from the barrel.

Bang—

His head jacked back upon impact, and his body collapsed to the ground, folding in on itself like a shattered lily.

Silence followed afterwards.

At the crack of gunfire, every head whipped in my direction. This was no trivial matter. Both cultists, and players alike turned to stare, their eyes locking onto me in unified shock.

What did I do in such a situation?

Step—

I took a step forward.

Just a single step was all it took for the cultists to snap back to their senses and fully grasped the situation.

"He has a weapon!"

"Stop him!"

"Executioners!"

Finally, the executioner started to move. It wasn't just one, but dozens of giant figures wearing the pyramid head appeared. The most terrifying aspect of the Fifth Fable was that there wasn't a single Executioner but an entire legion. In a scenario where all powers and skills were sealed, they were a living nightmare, and every one of them fixed their predatory gaze on me.

One of the cultists shouted with confidence. "You fool, you dare interrupt the most sacred ceremony!"

"I don't like what I don't like, and I despise what I hate."

"What?"

"I don't like this ritual, so I stopped it. What's so hard to understand there?"

"This insolent fool... Executioners! kill this man!"

At the command, the Executioners closed in and swung their weapons in unison. Some players closed their eyes while others sighed bitterly.

They clearly thought I was as good as dead.

I couldn't blame them.

No doubt, some of them had tried to resist the Executioners only to be crushed in the end. But I only smirked at the descending weapons.

It should be around this time.

[The item 'Explosive Pills' has activated.]

Kwakwakang!

The ground shook tremendously and flames emerged from beneath the earth.

They were bombs shaped like pills set to activate based on precise calculations of the sewer's location and water flow. The only drawback was that it took about ten minutes to detonate. However, that drawback was also included in my calculations.

I was grateful I had taken the time to speak with that hooded cultist.

"ARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!"

"BUUUUURRRRNNNN!! IT BURRRRNNNNS!!"

One by one, the black apostles were engulfed in flames. Even the Executioners were caught.

Even if they were protected by the story, that didn't mean they wouldn't be burned.

In fact, they weren't indestructible.

If you punched them, they would feel pain. If you stabbed them with a knife, they would bleed. A story's main character might have plot armor, but does that mean they are invulnerable to harm?

Not at all.

The only reason the Executioners seemed indestructible was that they couldn't be killed directly by players. But what happens when they are eliminated through indirect means?

For example, drowning.

Crack! Shatter—

The ground beneath the Executioners crumbled, sending them plunging into the rushing stream of sewage below.

How long had it take?

In no time, the expected steam of messages appeared.

[A god's agent has been eliminated.] Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e'm-p| y r

[A god's agent has been eliminated.]

[A god's agent has been eliminated.]

[...]