King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 47

Oedipus’s Tragedy – (2)

“Oh dear… a mortal is suffering because of Ares’s curse…”

A voice, reminiscent of an old woman, echoed in his head, or rather, seemed to emanate from the earth itself.

Could it be a god?! Is a god speaking to him to punish him?

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

Oedipus cried out, his voice raw with emotion.

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

“You misunderstand. I am not one of the Olympian gods who ruined your life. Rather, I am an enemy of theirs.”

“An enemy…?”

The voice of a god, from a being too lofty for a human to comprehend.

As Oedipus calmed his racing heart and caught his breath, the god’s voice swirled around him.

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

“A curse…? Are you saying it’s passed down through generations…?”

“You are not at fault in any way. It is all because of the Olympian gods.”

A strange intensity began to fill Oedipus’s eyes.

A strange energy flowed from the earth, stirring madness within him and clouding his judgment.

“If it weren’t for them, you would never have killed your father and married your mother.”

“Haa… haaa…”

The words struck him like a revelation, causing him to writhe in unbearable self-loathing.

The pain in his head gradually eased, and his thoughts simplified.

Yes… that’s right.

If only those cursed gods weren’t there…

All of this is not Oedipus’s fault, but the gods’ fault!

Then what he must do is…

“Now you have found the right path. I bestow upon you the blessing of Gaia [the primordial goddess of the Earth in Greek mythology].”

To remove all the hateful temples of the Olympian gods in Thebes.

* * *

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

Only Oedipus had heard the prophet’s words, so if he were banished and then killed later, the secret would be kept.

“I banish you for daring to utter falsehoods to the king. Leave Thebes immediately!”

“…I understand.”

“Your Majesty, but the prophet Tiresias…”

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

Everyone was taken aback by King Oedipus’s completely changed attitude, so different from when he had ordered the prophet to be brought in with respect.

But it didn’t end there.

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

“Your Majesty, what is the matter with the soldiers…”

“The reason why Thebes is plagued is because there are temples of the god of madness [Dionysus] and the god of the underworld [Hades, also known as Pluto], so I intend to destroy the temples built on the outskirts of the city!”

All the ministers were alarmed and tried to dissuade Oedipus.

No one had forgotten how King Pentheus had died for offending Dionysus.

Moreover, this time he was even targeting the temple of Pluto, who ruled the underworld.

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

“Your Majesty, please calm down and think again. If you attack the temples, the wrath of the gods will turn to Thebes!”

“Pluto governs the underworld, but he is also a god of mercy. Please reconsider your decision…”

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

The change in the benevolent ruler who had cared for the people suffering from the plague until yesterday was shocking.

If the temples were attacked as he said, Thebes could be destroyed, so everyone desperately tried to persuade him.

But for some reason, he was overly stubborn, as if possessed.

“Silence, all of you! The plague in Thebes is the fault of the gods, so if we destroy and eliminate their temples, the disease will disappear!”

The ministers were silenced by the king’s roar.

Despair filled their faces, but there was nothing they could do.

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

His bloodshot eyes and strangely excited appearance were unsettling to everyone.

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

The soldiers of Thebes were unable to comprehend the king’s sudden change of command.

A murmur gradually spread among them.

“What is His Majesty saying?”

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

“Are you going to fight the god Dionysus?!”

“Why is the plague the fault of Dionysus…?”

Naturally, the general leading the soldiers also moved to petition the king.

The eyes of the commander, who was walking to offer loyal advice, met the king’s.

“Your Majesty, are you really going to attack the temples? If you incur the wrath of the gods…”

“Enough! The Olympian gods are above those clouds, but I am here before you now!”

“Keuk!”

Fwoosh-

King Oedipus beheaded the general in one swift motion.

Red blood splattered, and the crowd was engulfed in fear.

Aside from killing someone he himself had favored…

Because the king’s lightly wielded sword had split a person’s body in half.

“Is there anyone else who dares to oppose my words?”

Strength clearly beyond human limits.

Everyone realized that something had changed in the wise king.

* * *

The temple of Dionysus faced an unexpected visitor.

Soldiers with menacing weapons surrounded the temple with uneasy eyes.

“What on earth is going on?”

“Drag out all those inside the temple and imprison them! Anyone who resists can be killed!”

King Oedipus took the lead and threatened the priests of the god.

His soldiers also aimed their spears at the believers with very uneasy faces.

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

“Be quiet..! Do you want to die by His Majesty’s blade?”

“Ugh… we will be punished by the gods.”

However, the morale of the soldiers was low.

Because no one could recklessly do the crazy thing of attacking a temple.

“Arrest the believers immediately! Anyone who retreats will be beheaded!”

The god Dionysus is invisible, but the king’s blade is near.

At the king’s fierce cry, the soldiers with gloomy faces began to capture the believers.

Until a huge leopard appeared from somewhere and began to bite the soldiers,

Grrr!

“Aaaagh!”

“Divine punishment, it’s divine punishment!”

When a divine beast several times larger than an ordinary leopard appeared and began to target the necks of humans, King Oedipus stepped forward.

“Get out of the way! A divine beast like that is nothing!”

As he, who had much larger feet than other people, walked forward…

The leopard also recognized the culprit who threatened the believers of Dionysus and rushed in fiercely.

Grrr! Hiss!

Clang-

Oedipus’s sword flashed and cut off the leopard’s claws.

The battle between the hero and the divine beast was enough to distract ordinary people.

“Hap!”

The treasured sword befitting the hero and king who saved Thebes tears and splits the air.

The divine beast also dodged the attack agilely, but…

“Heh heh… I got you. You bastard.”

Grrrr!

Oedipus abandoned his sword and grabbed the leopard’s neck with his bare hands.

An impossible feat for an ordinary human.

However, the power he received from Gaia raised his body to the ranks of a hero,

And eventually strangled the divine beast to death.

Thud!

“C-Crazy…!”

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

“Did everyone see it clearly! Dionysus’s divine beast is nothing! Set fire to the temple!”

King Oedipus roared with veins bulging on his muscular arms.

All the soldiers feared him and set fire to the temple.

“Is this… right…”

“I told you to be quiet…! Do you want to die by His Majesty right now?”

Behind King Oedipus, who was smiling as he watched the burning temple,

Light slowly entered the eyes of the leopard’s corpse he had thrown away.

“H-Hey! Over there!”

“It was definitely dead…?”

The fallen leopard slowly raised its body and glared at King Oedipus and opened its mouth.

What came out of the beast’s mouth, stained red with blood, was human speech.

“Are you the king of Thebes now?”

Is it the beast’s roar, or the whisper of madness?

Humans trembled in fear at the low voice coming from the leopard.

“Dare to desecrate my temple like this? You will never die in peace…”

Dionysus’s resentful words, briefly dwelling in the divine beast, ended, and the leopard stopped moving again.

Oedipus’s fate was as good as sealed now, but he felt no fear.

“Tch! Even if you’re a god, all you can do is send a beast!”

He spat on the dead divine beast and shamelessly insulted it.

The wise king who had cleverly defeated the Sphinx was nowhere to be seen.

“Now that the divine beast you believed in is dead, all you can do is threaten to curse me?! But what a pity! My life itself is a curse!”

Oedipus roars at the sky.

His reddened eyes and face create a grotesque atmosphere, causing the soldiers to step back.

The burned temple of Dionysus is noticeable, but the soldiers were relieved that they didn’t have to commit any more blasphemy for now.

The soldiers were thinking of offering prayers to Dionysus for forgiveness once they returned.

However…

Soon, a thunderbolt-like sound reached their ears.

“Next, I will burn down the temple of Hades! Everyone, follow me!”

What? Whose temple…?!