King of Underworld

Chapter 47 The Tragedy of Oedipus – (2)

“Ah… A mortal suffers because of Ares’ curse…”

A voice of an old woman echoed, as if it were coming not from my mind, but from the very earth itself.

Could it be a god?! Has a god appeared to punish me?

“Who are you! Are you a god who has come to mock and punish me?”

Oedipus howled with a voice that seemed to boil up from deep within.

After a brief moment of silence, a soft whisper reached him.

“You are mistaken. I am not one of the Olympian gods who ruined your life. On the contrary, I oppose them.”

“Oppose them…?”

The voice, from a being far beyond a mere human, resonated with Oedipus, who struggled to calm his excitement and catch his breath.

The god’s voice roared in his ears.

“Do you know that Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, was cursed with misfortune for killing the dragon, the child of Ares?”

“A curse… you say? Could it be the one passed down through the generations…?”

“You bear no fault. Everything is because of the Olympian gods.”

Oedipus’s eyes began to redden strangely.

A strange aura seeped from the earth, driving him mad and clouding his judgment.

“If it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t have killed your father or married your mother.”

“Huh… Huuuh…”

In the midst of his torment and self-loathing, a single phrase was delivered to him like a revelation.

His aching head began to ease, and his thoughts became simpler.

Yes… those words were true.

If not for those cursed gods…

All of this was not Oedipus’s fault; it was because of the gods!

In that case, what he had to do was clear…

“Finally, you have found the right path. I, Gaia, bestow upon you my blessing.”

To rid Thebes of the detestable temples of the Olympian gods.

* * *

The first thing King Oedipus did upon returning to the palace was to banish the prophet.

Since only Oedipus had heard the prophet’s words, if he was exiled and later killed, the secret would remain safe.

“For the crime of falsely accusing the king, I hereby banish you. Leave Thebes immediately!”

“…I understand.”

“Your Majesty, but the prophet Teiresias…”

“I don’t want to hear it! Guards! Take him away!”

Unlike when he had been respectfully invited, King Oedipus now drove him out with a completely different attitude.

Everyone was astonished at Oedipus’s sudden change.

But this was not the end.

“Summon the troops, I will lead them myself.”

“Your Majesty, why do you need the soldiers…”

“The reason Thebes is plagued is because of the temples of the Mad God and the God of the Underworld. I intend to destroy the temples built on the outskirts of the city!”

At this, all the ministers were shocked and tried to dissuade Oedipus.

No one had forgotten how King Pentheus met his end after angering the god Dionysus.

And now, Oedipus was even planning to defile the temple of Pluto, the ruler of the Underworld.

Had the wise king who saved Thebes from the Sphinx gone mad?

“Your Majesty, please calm down and reconsider. If you attack the temple, the gods’ wrath will befall Thebes!”

“Lord Pluto may rule the Underworld, but he is also a god of mercy. Please, make the right decision…”

“I don’t know what you heard from the prophet, but…”

Just yesterday, he was the virtuous king who cared for his people suffering from the plague.

Now, if he followed through with his words and attacked the temple, Thebes might indeed be destroyed, so they desperately tried to persuade him.

But for some reason, he remained stubbornly obstinate.

As if he were possessed by something.

“Silence! The plague in Thebes is the fault of the gods! If we destroy their temples, the plague will retreat!”

At the king’s outburst, the ministers fell silent.

Though their faces were etched with despair, there was nothing they could do.

Soon, the troops were summoned to the palace, and Oedipus drew his sword and shouted.

With bloodshot eyes and an unnervingly excited demeanor, he was clearly not in his right mind.

“From now on, we march to the temple of Dionysus! Let’s destroy the temples of the gods who have spread this plague!”

The soldiers of Thebes, stunned by the king’s sudden and erratic order, could not comprehend the situation.

Murmurs began to spread among them.

“What is His Majesty saying?”

“Is the tragedy of King Pentheus about to happen again…”

“Does he intend to fight the god Dionysus?”

“Why would the plague be Dionysus’s fault…?”

Naturally, the general leading the soldiers also started walking toward the king to make a plea.

As he approached to offer his counsel, his eyes met the king’s.

“Your Majesty, do you truly intend to attack the temple? If we incur the wrath of the gods…”

“Silence! The Olympian gods may dwell above the clouds, but I stand before you now!”

“Keuhk!”

Splat—

King Oedipus swiftly beheaded the general.

As the red blood sprayed, the crowd was engulfed in fear.

Not only had he killed a man he once favored without hesitation…

But the man’s body had been split vertically by the king’s casually swung sword.

“Is there anyone else who dares to oppose me?”

It was clear to everyone that the king had surpassed human strength.

The wise king had clearly changed into something else.

* * *

The temple of Dionysus received an unexpected visitor.

Soldiers armed with menacing weapons surrounded the temple with uneasy expressions.

“What on earth is going on?”

“Drag everyone inside the temple out and imprison them! If anyone resists, kill them on the spot!”

King Oedipus led the way, threatening the priests of the god.

His soldiers, also uneasy, pointed their spears at the worshippers.

“I don’t know if this is the right thing to do…”

“Quiet! Do you want to die by the king’s sword?”

“Ugh… we’re going to be punished by the gods.”

But the soldiers’ morale was low.

No sane person would dare attack a temple.

“Capture the worshippers immediately! If anyone retreats, cut them down!”

Though they couldn’t see Dionysus, the king’s sword was very close.

At the king’s sharp command, the soldiers reluctantly began to seize the worshippers.

Until, from somewhere, a gigantic leopard appeared and began to maul the soldiers,

Roaaaar!

### “Aaaah!”

“Divine punishment, divine punishment is upon us!”

As a divine beast, several times larger than an ordinary leopard, appeared and started targeting human throats, King Oedipus stepped forward.

“Stand back! A mere divine beast like this is nothing!”

As he, who had feet much larger than those of other men, stepped forward…

The leopard, as if recognizing the culprit who had threatened Dionysus’s worshippers, charged at him fiercely.

*Growl! Hiss!*

*Clang—*

Oedipus’s sword flashed as it deflected the leopard’s claws.

The battle between the hero and the divine beast was enough to daze the ordinary onlookers.

“Haaap!”

The sword, fitting for the hero and king who had saved Thebes, tore through the air.

The divine beast nimbly dodged the attack, but…

“Heh heh… Got you, you beast.”

*Grrraaarrr!*

Oedipus discarded his sword and seized the leopard’s neck with his bare hands.

An impossible feat for an ordinary human.

However, the strength bestowed upon him by Gaia had elevated his body to that of a hero,

And in the end, he managed to strangle the divine beast to death.

*Thud!*

“Insane…!”

“His Majesty defeated a divine beast with his bare hands…?!”

“Did you all see that? A divine beast of Dionysus is nothing! Set fire to the temple!”

King Oedipus roared, his muscular arms bulging with veins.

Terrified, the soldiers set the temple ablaze.

“Is this… the right thing to do…”

“Quiet! Do you want to die by His Majesty’s sword right now?”

Behind King Oedipus, who laughed as he watched the burning temple,

The eyes of the leopard’s corpse he had discarded slowly began to shine.

“Uh… Hey, look over there!”

“It was definitely dead, though…”

The fallen leopard slowly rose to its feet, glaring at King Oedipus as it opened its mouth.

From the blood-stained mouth of the beast came human speech.

“Are you the king of Thebes?”

Was it the beast’s howl, or the whisper of madness?

The low, rumbling voice from the leopard struck fear into the hearts of the people.

“How dare you turn my temple into this state? You will never die peacefully…”

With those words, filled with Dionysus’s bitter grudge, the divine beast ceased moving once again.

Though Oedipus’s fate was now sealed, he felt no fear.

“Bah! So even as a god, all you can do is send a mere beast!”

He spat on the dead divine beast, mocking it without hesitation.

In his actions, there was no trace of the wise king who had once outwitted the Sphinx.

“Is that all you have? To threaten me with curses because your divine beast is dead? But what does it matter?! My life itself is already a curse!”

Oedipus roared towards the sky.

His reddened eyes and grotesque expression created an eerie atmosphere, causing the soldiers to step back.

Though Dionysus’s temple burned before their eyes,

The soldiers felt a small sense of relief that, for now, they wouldn’t commit further sacrilege.

They began to think about praying for Dionysus’s forgiveness once they returned.

But…

Soon, a thunderous voice echoed in their ears.

“Next, we shall burn down Hades’s temple! Follow me, all of you!”

What did he just say? Whose temple…?