King of Underworld

Chapter 48 The Tragedy of Oedipus – (3)

“I’ll burn down Hades’s temple next! Everyone, follow me!”

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

Not only were they burning down Dionysus’s temple, but now they were attacking Hades’s temple too?

Dionysus was one of the twelve Olympians, the god of madness.

When King Pentheus of Thebes had once angered Dionysus and was horrifically killed, some people sympathized with King Pentheus and harbored resentment toward the god of madness.

King Pentheus had only imprisoned the worshippers who were disrupting the public order while drunk, but for that, he was stoned to death by his own maddened family.

In Thebes, the name Dionysus was spoken with a mix of fear, reverence, and resentment.

It was only natural since he was a merciless god who killed a king for merely displeasing him and spread the madness of wine.

“But Lord Pluto…”

“I could tolerate Dionysus’s temple, but this…”

“…Should we flee?”

However, in Thebes, the name of Hades held a slightly different meaning compared to Dionysus.

He was the god of the underworld, mercy, and wealth.

He bestowed the blessing of wealth upon the living and provided mint to mask the stench of decaying corpses. There were even rumors that he possessed a priest on the brink of death to save him from a monster.

The fear he inspired was different from the grudge-filled terror associated with Dionysus. It was a more primal fear, the fear of punishment after death.

He was the lord of the underworld, powerful enough to be called the Zeus of the underworld, with immense authority and power.

“If we burn down Pluto’s temple… we’ll end up in Tartarus after death…”

“How is this different from destroying Zeus’s temple?”

“Is King Oedipus not afraid of death?”

“What are you all doing? Follow me quickly!”

King Oedipus pointed his sword at the soldiers.

But unlike before, the soldiers could not move.

No matter how merciful Lord Pluto was…

If his temple was desecrated, and he simply let it go, that wouldn’t make him a god of mercy, but a god of fools.

Everyone’s minds filled with thoughts of the terrible punishment he might mete out.

“Your Majesty! Please reconsider! That would be like poking a hornet’s nest!”

“The temple of Pluto contains statues of other gods too!”

Indeed, Pluto’s temple housed statues of other gods besides him.

The god of death, Thanatos, the goddess of oblivion, Lethe, and even the terrifying goddesses of vengeance whose names were too fearful to utter…

The soldiers begged King Oedipus to withdraw his order.

But all they received in return was a madman’s wrathful roar.

“Hah! Even if Hades himself descends, he’ll flee to the underworld after facing my sword! Move now! If you do not obey, I will kill you all!”

* * *

“…If you do not obey, I will kill you all!”

The mad King Oedipus tried to force the soldiers into action.

He intended to use his power to intimidate them, the same power that had slain a general and killed a sacred beast.

But…

“If we touch Pluto’s temple, we’ll end up dead anyway, right?”

“No, we might suffer eternal torment even after death.”

“Damn it… If it comes to this, we might as well…”

Even though the blade before their eyes was frightening, it wasn’t more terrifying than the god of the underworld.

Suffering eternal torment in the underworld was a punishment worse than death.

The soldiers’ gazes toward Oedipus began to mix with discontent, resentment, and even murderous intent.

No matter how close to a hero he might be, wouldn’t they stand a chance if they all attacked at once?

Sensing the rebellious glint in their eyes, Oedipus turned with a bizarre grin.

“Oh… You dare defy the king’s command?”

“Facing Pluto’s wrath is scarier than dying at your hands!”

“We cannot follow your orders! Stop this sacrilege at once!”

“Burning the temple of a merciful god—are you out of your mind?”

The soldiers’ spears pointed at Oedipus, defying the king’s command.

But the mad hero, empowered by Gaia, only laughed.

“Heh… Hahaha! Fine, you all die too!”

“Kill the mad king and offer him to Dionysus to beg for mercy!”

“Quick, inform the priests of Pluto’s temple!”

“Because of you, we refuse to suffer eternal punishment even after death!”

Citizens who had heard that Dionysus’s temple was burning also flocked to the scene.

Rumors quickly spread that the wise king had lost his mind and was now trying to burn down Pluto’s temple.

“How could the merciful god have blessed the living so much…”

“Indeed! Look at his eyes! It’s as if he’s hearing Dionysus’s whispers…”

“Has the king gone mad with wine? Attacking temples—what a deranged act!”

Soon, the area in front of Dionysus’s temple was filled with the shouts of countless soldiers and citizens.

In the midst of the chaos, King Oedipus swung his sword wildly, turning the scene into a massacre.

“Ahaha! Die, all of you!”

Slash. Slice.

“Argh!”

“His power is incredible!”

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

Who could dare stand against the power of a hero who had transcended humanity?

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

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

Meanwhile, the news of Oedipus’s massacre in Thebes reached the temple of Hades.

A soldier, who had always been a devotee of Hades, rushed in to deliver the news.

“…You all must flee! Dionysus’s temple has also burned!”

“Soldier, I appreciate your concern, but as priests, we cannot abandon the temple.”

“How could the wise king have gone mad and started burning temples and massacring people… How can this be?”

“Just yesterday, he was a saintly king caring for the residents suffering from the plague…”

The priests of Hades were bewildered by the sudden crisis.

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

“Quick, escape! The mad king is killing everyone who stands in his way and is heading this way!”

“My god… Hades.”

“The merciful god must be watching over this place.”

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

But then the screams of people grew closer, and a madman with a menacing aura appeared.

The slaughterer, Oedipus, was covered in blood from head to toe.

He had killed numerous soldiers and citizens who tried to stop him and was now panting heavily as he arrived at the temple.

“Huff… Huff… Olympus… gods… die…”

As the fallen hero walked slowly toward them, everyone in the temple was gripped by fear.

Even though the priests had received some of the gods’ powers, they were fundamentally non-combatants.

“How did he get here so quickly…!”

“Oh, merciful god… Please help us.”

* * *

At this very moment, in the underworld.

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

What’s the use of being a high-ranking god if there’s still a mountain of work to do?

Look at Charon; he’s one of the Protogenoi, a child of Nyx, the goddess of night, yet he still works as a ferryman.

Yes… And the same goes for Thanatos, who is now hurriedly entering through the door.

“Hades! You told me to report any strange human deaths, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did. Has a Gigas attacked a human city?”

Are they finally making their move?

Where was the attack? Athens? Delphi?

“A mad human is rampaging in Thebes, slaughtering people. The death toll is already in the dozens.”

“A human, doing that in a city?”

While I was puzzled by the news of a human rampage rather than the expected Gigas attack,

the goddess Lethe, with her long silver hair flowing, rushed in urgently.

“Hades! The king of Thebes is killing all the people! But my interference isn’t working…?”

“Your powers of oblivion aren’t working?”

I hadn’t descended to the mortal world, nor had I used my full power, only a portion.

But even with that, most humans would lose their memories…

“Either a divine blessing or curse is at play. Or perhaps he has a special lineage…”

“He’s rampaging like a madman—could it be Dionysus’s power?”

“That seems unlikely. Let me take a look at the mortal world.”

No matter how much Dionysus was the god of madness, he wouldn’t go so far as to slaughter numerous humans.

Especially in Thebes, where both my temple and many of Dionysus’s followers resided.

I briefly shifted my consciousness to observe the mortal world.

I could do this by borrowing the eyes and ears of a devout follower, even without a priest’s earnest prayer.

A madman was swinging a sword, massacring people.

“Oh merciful god… Please help us.”

“King Oedipus has gone mad. Please…”

“Lord Pluto… the main street is covered with corpses and blood…”

The bodies of the devotees praying desperately to me trembled.

Some of them believed this was a punishment from the gods of Olympus.

And that madman…

“Hahaha!! Die!!”

His blood-red eyes, his clearly abnormal expression, and his insane laughter.

Lastly… the divine power of the earth radiating from his entire body.

Gaia had cursed a human and driven him mad.

The reason for causing such chaos in Thebes was undoubtedly because both my temple and Dionysus’s temple were located there.

“Ordinary humans cannot handle this. Thanatos, I’ll bring that human to the underworld, so please summon Goddess Mnemosyne.”

“You’ll go in person? The lord of the underworld doesn’t need to intervene. I have followers praying to me…”

“I know you’ll take the opportunity to rest once you’re out, just like with Sisyphus.”

“No… Ahem…”

I stopped the god Thanatos from making another attempt to escape to the mortal world and closed my eyes.

The best body to possess was, of course, the female priest who had once accepted me before.

‘My priest, Penedeia.’

“Gasp…! Yes, your servant. Penedeia awaits your command.”

‘I need to borrow your body for a moment like last time.’

“It is an honor…! Lord Hades!”

A poor soul ensnared by Gaia’s curse…

Perhaps a swift death would be the greatest mercy I could grant him.