Chapter 48: The Tragedy of Oedipus - (3)

"Next, we'll burn down Hades's temple! Everyone, follow me!"

The soldiers couldn't believe their ears for a moment.

Not content with burning Dionysus's temple, he's going to attack Hades's temple too?

Dionysus is one of the 12 Olympian gods and the god of madness.

When King Pentheus of Thebes was horribly killed for offending Dionysus,

Some people sympathized with King Pentheus and held a grudge against the god of madness.

King Pentheus had merely imprisoned the followers who were disturbing the peace while drunk,

But in return, he was stoned to death by his maddened family members.

In Thebes, Dionysus's name is spoken with a mix of fear, awe, and resentment.

It's natural for a merciless god who kills a country's king for offending him and spreads the madness of wine.

"But Lord Pluto..."

"We could understand Dionysus's temple, but..."

"...Should we run away?"

However, in Thebes, Hades's name carries a slightly different meaning from Dionysus.

God of the underworld, mercy, and wealth.

He gives the blessing of wealth and mint to prevent the smell of decaying corpses to the living,

And there are rumors that he possessed and saved a priest who was about to be killed by a monster.

And unlike Dionysus, the fear felt towards him wasn't resentful terror.

It was a more primal fear of punishment after death.

The lord of the underworld with powerful authority and strength, called the Zeus of the underworld.

"If we burn Pluto's temple... we'll go to Tartarus after death.."

"How is this any different from destroying Zeus's temple..."

"Is King Oedipus not afraid of death?"

"What are you doing! Follow me quickly!"

King Oedipus pointed his sword at the soldiers.

However, unlike before, the soldiers couldn't move.

No matter how merciful Lord Pluto is said to be...

If he just lets it slide when his temple is invaded, he's not a god of mercy but a god of fools.

Horrible punishments he could inflict flashed through everyone's minds.

"Your Majesty! Please withdraw your order! This is like poking a hornet's nest!"

"There are statues of other gods in Pluto's temple too!"

Moreover, Pluto's temple contained statues of other gods besides him.

The god of death Thanatos, the goddess of forgetfulness Lethe, and even the goddesses of vengeance whose names were too fearsome to speak...

The soldiers begged King Oedipus to withdraw his order.

But what came back was the mad king's fierce command.

"Hah! Even if Hades himself descends, he'll flee back to the underworld after tasting my blade! Move now! If you don't follow my orders, I'll cut you all down!"

***

"...If you don't follow my orders, I'll cut you all down!"

The mad King Oedipus tried to move the soldiers by force.

He thought everyone would follow if he intimidated them with his strength that had beheaded the general and killed the divine beast.

However...

"If we touch Pluto's temple, aren't we dead anyway?"

"No, we might suffer eternally even after death."

"Damn... If it's come to this, rather..."

Although the blade before their eyes was frightening, it couldn't be more terrifying than the god of the underworld.

Eternal suffering in the afterlife is a punishment worse than death.

The soldiers' eyes began to mix with discontent, resentment, and killing intent as they looked at Oedipus.

Even if he had stepped into the realm of heroes, if everyone rushed him at once, wouldn't they have a chance?

As if noticing their insolent gazes, Oedipus turned around with a grotesque smile.

"Oh ho... These bastards... You dare disobey the king's orders?"

"Dying by your hand is less frightening than incurring Lord Pluto's wrath!"

"We cannot follow your orders! Stop this sacrilege immediately!"

"Are you in your right mind, trying to burn the temple of the merciful god?!"

The soldiers' spears turned towards Oedipus, defying the king's orders.

But the mad hero empowered by Gaia merely sneered.

"Hehe.. Hahaha! Fine, all of you can die too!"

"Let's kill this mad king and offer him to Dionysus to beg for mercy!"

"Quickly, inform the priests of Pluto's temple!"

"We can't pay for our sins eternally even after death because of you!"

Citizens who had heard about Dionysus's temple burning also gathered.

Rumors quickly spread that the once wise king had gone mad and was trying to burn Pluto's temple as well.

"No, after all the grace the merciful god has shown to the living..."

"That's right! Look at those eyes! As if he's heard Dionysus's whisper..."

"Has the king gone mad from wine? Attacking a temple, what insanity!"

Soon, the area in front of Dionysus's temple was filled with the clamor of numerous soldiers and citizens.

In the middle of this chaos, King Oedipus swung his sword wildly, carrying out a massacre.

"Uahaha! Die, all of you die!"

Slash. Slice.

"Argh!"

"His strength is incredible!"

No matter how many soldiers there were, they were helpless.

Who could possibly withstand the strength of a hero who had transcended humanity?

Blood splattered everywhere, and red flowers bloomed on the earth.

The king smiling grotesquely amidst blood and madness was no longer the hero who had saved Thebes.

Meanwhile, news that Oedipus was carrying out a massacre in Thebes reached Hades's temple as well.

A soldier who had been a follower of Hades rushed in and relayed everything.

"...Everyone must flee! Even Dionysus's temple has been burned!"

"Soldier, we appreciate your concern, but as priests, we cannot abandon the temple."

"To think that wise king has gone mad and is burning temples and massacring people... How could this happen."

"Just yesterday, he was a benevolent ruler caring for plague-stricken residents..."

The priests of Hades were bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

But before they could fully grasp the situation, another soldier rushed in urgently.

"Flee quickly! The mad king is killing everyone in his way and rushing here!"

"Oh my... Lord Hades."

"Surely the merciful god is watching over this place."

The priests bit their lips and began to pray one by one.

But as people's screams grew closer, a madman with a sinister aura appeared.

It was Oedipus, a murderer covered in red blood from head to toe.

He caught his breath after rushing here, killing numerous soldiers and citizens who tried to stop him.

"Huff.. huff.. Olympian.. gods.. die..."

As the fallen hero slowly approached, everyone in the temple was gripped by fear.

Even though the priests had received some divine power, they were essentially non-combatants.

"He's already here...!"

"Merciful god... please help us."

***

At this moment, in the Underworld.

I, the lord of the underworld and one of the Big Three, was working in my office.

Even for a god of high rank, there's a mountain of work to be done.

Just look at Charon, one of the Protogenoi, a child of Nyx the goddess of night, yet he works as a ferryman.

Yes... even Thanatos, who's rushing in from outside the door right now, is the same.

"Hades! Didn't you ask me to tell you if humans were dying strangely?"

"Yes, I did. Have the Gigantes attacked a human country?"

Have they finally made their move?

Where was attacked? Athens? Delphi?

"Some madman in Thebes is rampaging and carrying out a massacre. Already over dozens have died."

"A human, and in a city at that?"

As I was puzzled by the news of a human causing havoc instead of the expected Gigantes attack,

Lethe, the goddess with long silver hair, came running in urgently.

"Hades! The king of Thebes is killing all the humans! But my intervention isn't working...?"

"Your power of forgetfulness doesn't work?"

A power used moderately without descending to the mortal world or moving her true form.

Yet that alone should have made most humans lose their memories...

"He must be under a god's blessing or curse. Or perhaps of special lineage..."

"He's rampaging in madness, could it be Dionysus's power?"

"That's unlikely. I'll take a look at the mortal world for now."

No matter how much of a god of madness Dionysus is, he wouldn't massacre numerous humans.

Thebes not only has my temple but also many followers of Dionysus.

I briefly shifted my consciousness to observe the mortal world.

By borrowing the eyes and ears of followers, I can observe the mortal world even without a priest's desperate prayer.

The sight of a madman swinging his sword and massacring people.

"Merciful god... please help us."

"King Oedipus has gone mad. Please..."

"Lord Pluto... The streets are filled with corpses and blood..."

The bodies of followers desperately praying to me tremble.

Some even thought this was punishment sent by the Olympian gods.

And that madman...

"Uahaha!! Die!!"

Blood-red eyes, an expression clearly abnormal to anyone who saw it, and insane laughter.

Lastly... the divine power of the earth felt throughout his body.

So Gaia has cursed a human and driven him mad.

The reason for causing this in Thebes is probably because my and Dionysus's temples are here.

"Ordinary humans can't handle this. Thanatos, I'll bring that human to the underworld, so please call Goddess Mnemosyne."

"You're going yourself? The lord of the underworld doesn't need to step in. There are followers praying to me too..."

"I know you're planning to escape to the mortal world and slack off again, like with Sisyphus."

"No... ahem..."

I closed my eyes, preventing Thanatos from trying to escape to the mortal world again.

The best body for manifestation is still that of the female priest who has accepted me once before.

'My priest, Penedeia.'

"Huh...! Yes, your servant Penedeia receives your command."

'I'll need to borrow your body again, like last time.'

"It's an honor...! Lord Hades!"

A poor soul captured by Gaia...

A swift death would be mercy for him.