The End's Executor
But then Cycnus, who had been blasted away by the shock, cut in.
"How dare you!"
Cycnus seemed utterly furious at the fact that a mere human had landed a hit on him, a new god. True to his young and prideful nature, he flew into a rage easily.
"Feel the wrath of a god!"
Suddenly, Cycnus's eyes turned bloodshot red. I knew exactly what that meant the moment I saw it.
"High Priest! Get out of the way!"
From the Secret Book's knowledge, I recalled that Cycnus had received the power of sunlight thanks to his father Apollo's favor. He could shoot solar rays from his eyes that incinerated everything. It came with the restriction that he had to be angry to use it, but its power was terrifying. The book said a human would need to borrow Athena's aegis shield to block it.
Flash.
A blinding light erupted, and I hurriedly shielded my face with the book. I'd told him to dodge, but I knew the High Priest couldn't. If he did, the Secret Book and I would be reduced to ashes.
The solar beam didn't last long. A moment was enough to obliterate everything.
"Nngh!"
I bit my lip in painful anticipation. I couldn't bring myself to lower the book I'd been using as a shield. I lacked the courage to see the High Priest turned to cinders.
But I couldn't look away forever. When I finally peeked, my jaw dropped in astonishment.
"...You, you blocked it?"
Incredibly, the High Priest had withstood Cycnus's solar ray, borrowed from Apollo's power. Smoke rose from his body with a sizzling sound, but his limbs were intact.
I wasn't the only one shocked. Cycnus, who always acted so superior, stared with wide eyes in a dumbfounded expression.
My face probably looked just as stunned as that flustered god's right now.
"Hah... Scribe. Do I seem a bit like a legendary hero now...?"
"Pardon?"
I blankly echoed his words, and he glanced back slightly with a smirk.
"You looked... rather skeptical... didn't you?"
"Heh heh..."
This old man's sharp. In that instant, I realized what I had to do.
The flustered god was off guard.
"As atonement, I'll do what I must."
I flipped open the book without hesitation. But I immediately ran into trouble.
"What the hell?"
There wasn't a single letter inside the book. It was all blank. No—black paper? Filled with pitch-black sheets that held nothing.
Just as disappointment started to spread in my chest, a change occurred.
A thick, horrifying darkness began to flow out from within the book. And a mechanical grinding sound, like massive gears turning, echoed.
"No!"
Cycnus shouted too late, but something unstoppable was already in motion.
Vrrrroooom!
The massive book vibrated wildly, nearly slipping from my grip in the frenzy. It thrashed like a living creature, spewing darkness everywhere.
The underworld, once bright with Cycnus's divinity, grew ominous and eerie, filling with toxic air as it drowned in black shadows.
It looked incredibly dangerous, but surprisingly, the High Priest and I were unaffected and fine. Cycnus, on the other hand, clutched his chest in agony.
"Grrgh! You bastards! Do you even know what you've... nngh! Done?!"
He tried to step toward us to stop it, but collapsed to one knee. Sweat poured like rain as his body trembled violently. He could barely endure. His proud eyes brimmed with fear.
"Strange... He's a god, yet he looks like a man gripped by terror."
The darkness and sinister aura filling the air were clearly ominous, but they felt oddly familiar. Like something I'd known for a long time?
Cycnus struggled with a barrier-like shield, but I couldn't comprehend his distress at all. What could make this mighty god so helpless?
"Who knows... I haven't a clue."
The High Priest looked baffled too. He aimed his staff at Cycnus and cautiously retreated toward me.
Then, unexpectedly, my question got an answer from an unlikely source.
"Th-this is!"
The chosen servants of the god Harpocrates are safe from his power.
The short sentence was profoundly meaningful. So the High Priest and I were chosen servants of the god of secrets and silence, Harpocrates?
"Are you Lord Harpocrates, showing us these words?!"
No. I am merely the book imbued with his power.
The High Priest, deeply intrigued, chimed in.
"Where is Lord Harpocrates?"
He glanced at Cycnus and whispered so faintly it was barely audible.
"No oracles have come recently."
What? The oracles had stopped? If true, that was no small crisis for the cult. Even I would flip out—it's like the boss ghosting you.
You too are a chosen servant. I shall answer your questions. Lord Harpocrates's whereabouts are currently unknown.
"What?!"
The High Priest flinched in shock but bit his lip and said nothing. Probably worried Cycnus might overhear and learn something. Fortunately, the book's responses appeared as white text on the black pages, invisible to him. He was too busy fighting the crushing force anyway.
"Kuaaaah!"
Cycnus screamed like a banshee and forced his knee back up. But his face was pale, body shaking uncontrollably.
"Grr! This isn't the power of an Olympian god! Harpocrates! What the hell are you?!"
Huh? What did he mean? Harpocrates, god of secrets and silence, belonged to the Olympian pantheon under Zeus. His cult wasn't huge, but he wasn't evil or a Titan.
So why say it's not Olympian power? And Cycnus's demeanor suggested he faced an unknown horror—like trembling at some grotesque novelty.
Sweat poured from him, but he couldn't even wipe it. His jaw and shoulders quivered, flinging droplets everywhere.
"Uwaaaah!"
Cycnus plugged his ears and wailed. His once-fine voice cracked roughly.
We'd never seen a god like this, so the High Priest and I couldn't hide our bewilderment.
Then new text appeared on the book.
Peleus. Faithful scribe of the temple. Lord Harpocrates wishes to appoint you as the Executor of the End. Do you accept?
Executor of the End? What the hell was that?
Even in the urgency, I had to ask.
But no proper answer came.
I cannot answer that.
"Why not?!"
Revealing it would summon Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades here. They do not yet know Lord Harpocrates's plan. You must decide while the gods are off guard.
"Hm..."
A scenario flashed in my mind. Maybe Zeus and the other major Olympians were searching for Harpocrates directly? That would explain the halted oracles and disappearance.
Meanwhile, they sent Cycnus after the relatively minor Secret Book. A god was overkill for just grabbing a book on earth.
But things had gone sideways, making the Secret Book seem more crucial than Harpocrates himself. A classic diversion—buying time with himself while something happens with the book?
"Wouldn't the High Priest be better suited? It must be important."
Lord Harpocrates chose you, Peleus. Hurry. Time is short. Accept to become the Executor of the End, and the appointed procedure will begin.
I was already riding a tiger. No backing out now. Refusing would just get me killed by Cycnus.
Crushed by the unknown force, his handsome face twisted demonically.
"I won't forgive youuu! I can't forgive thiiis-!"
His momentum felt off. Sensing no time to hesitate, I accepted immediately.
"Understood. I'll carry out the task given to me."
Confirmed.
Vrrrroooom-!
Beginning the appointed procedure. Henceforth, Peleus is appointed Executor of the End.
A heavy vibration rumbled as something vast stirred. Only then did I realize this chamber was part of some enormous mechanical device—like a single gear in an unimaginable underground machine.
The room slowly rotated clockwise, colorful magic circles blooming on the floor.
"Uwaaaah! Nooo!"
Cycnus thrashed in near-convulsion. He'd sensed something had gone terribly wrong.
But he was braver than I thought—or utterly insane. He drew a blue dagger and began slashing himself.
"Grraaah! Kuaaaah! Father! Apollo! Grant me your power!"
The god splattered his divine blood everywhere, finally shattering the oppressive aura binding him like an aura.
"I won't disappoint Father! The great Apollo! And this body shall be praised as a heroic god on Olympus!"
This young god's vanity transcended my wildest imagination.
Weakened by the surrounding darkness, Cycnus charged like a vicious demon.
Boom!
An explosion rang out, and the High Priest, blocking the way, vomited blood and flew back. He had legendary human strength, but couldn't match a rage-maddened god.
"Stop this magic now, human!"
Cycnus advanced with lion-like fury, eyes blazing like the sun. His momentum was so terrifying I shrank back instinctively. Fear made my jaw tremble; no words came.
With the High Priest gone, nothing protected me.
The appointed procedure is in progress. Do not separate from the book until it ends.
A glance confirmed I couldn't let go of the book. But how to resist a god?
"If you won't listen, I'll blast you too!"
Cycnus raised a fist the size of a pot lid. One hit would explode my head.
"Hup!"
Startled by his shout, I instinctively blocked with the Secret Book. Using it as a shield, I still thought it was over. No matter how thick, how could it stop a god's punch?
In that split second, the giant's rotting corpse slain by Heracles flashed in my mind. I'd end up the same bloody pulp.
Clang!
A deafening crash and a scream erupted.
"GyaAaah!"
But it wasn't mine. Cycnus, about to punish me with his iron fist, clutched his hand in agony.
"Aghh! What did you do?!"
Incredibly, his arm had turned pitch-black like poisoned flesh, cracking like an ancient statue.
The black aura from the Secret Book had corrupted the god, it seemed. Whatever the principle, Harpocrates's power in the book was like poison to gods?
"In that case!"
With Heracles's jewel, my strength was immense. I couldn't just take this.
I gripped the massive, heavy book with both hands and smashed it down on the writhing Cycnus with all my might.
Splat!
"Squeak!"
Cycnus let out an un-godly yelp and collapsed, knees buckling as he braced the ground with both arms.
A solid hit. I couldn't believe a mere human like me had flattened Apollo's famous son. The thrill was unreal.
"Unbelievable! A god like me, hit by a human?!"
"Here's another! You cocky brat!"
"Think I'll take it lying down?!"
I swung again, but he grabbed my arm. We spun, gripping each other's hands. To a bystander, we'd look like dancing fools.
Our faces neared; I headbutted with full force.
Thud!
His nose bridge crumpled with a dull sound, blood gushing from both nostrils. Sticky blood coated my forehead.
"Aaaah!"
It was a brawl, but this pathetic god knew no martial arts. With his powers, he'd never needed them. Deprived by the Secret Book, he was just a strong, hot-tempered idiot.
"I'm a heroic god, you know!"
Credit where due—his stubbornness. Even with his pride shattered and nose broken, he flailed to snatch the book.
What a nasty temper.
Whoosh.
Mid-mudfight, the book flipped open, revealing new text.
Initiating regression to ten years ago!
What? Regression? I knew something huge was happening, but rewinding time? Caught off guard, I froze mid-fight.
Cycnus did too. He'd seen the book's text.
"Appointed procedure? Regression?"
He looked utterly confused. Even I, with some context, was stunned; he must be worse. He'd believed the Secret Book held end-times prophecies, so "regression" made no sense.
Ziiing!
My body began dissolving into light particles, its components turning to glowing dust sucked into spacetime's rift.
"No!"
Cycnus instinctively tried to stop it, but it was futile. Realizing this dimwit god was no threat, I relaxed.
"Hm?"
That's when I noticed something unordinary on his belt: a leather pouch about 30 cm long, adorned with gold and jewels.
I didn't know what was inside, but before vanishing into regression or whatever, I wanted it.
"I'll take this as settlement!"
I lunged for the pouch; he startled and blocked. Whatever it was, it was vital.
"You crazy villain! No!"
His resistance was fierce, so I smashed the Secret Book down again.
Splat!
"Guek!"
God or not, he'd be gone after regression anyway.
"Was shit teaming up with you! Never see you again!"
I yanked the pouch from his belt. Heracles's jewel made my strength brutish.
Snap!
His belt broke, pouch in hand.
"No! Father's item!"
Clearly precious. He prioritized it over the Secret Book, clinging desperately, but my body was over halfway gone. His hand sliced empty air.
"Uwaaaah! I haven't even used it yet!"
Apollo's item, huh? Divine artifact! Heh heh, perfect.
Then my eyes met the High Priest's behind.
"Scribe! I wish you good fortune!"
I wanted to reply, but light flashed. My consciousness vanished into devouring white.