Chapter 2 of the Tragedy of Oedipus
"Alas... A mortal suffers because of Ares' curse..."
The voice of an old woman seemed to echo not just in his mind, but from the very earth itself.
Could it be a god?! Is a deity speaking to punish him?
"Who are you! Have you come to mock and punish me, a mere mortal?!"
Oedipus cried out with a voice that seemed to rise from the depths of his being.
After a brief silence, a gentle whisper reached his ears.
"You are misunderstanding something. I am not one of the Olympian gods who have ruined your life. In fact, I am their enemy."
"Enemy...?"
The voice came from a being so high above, it felt distant from humanity.
As Oedipus calmed his excitement and took a deep breath, the divine voice swirled around him.
"Do you know that Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, was cursed with misfortune for killing Ares' offspring, Dracon?"
"Cursed... you say? Could it be a curse passed down through generations...?"
"You have done nothing wrong. Everything is the fault of the Olympian gods."
Oedipus's eyes began to redden strangely.
An odd energy flowed from the earth, filling him with madness and clouding his judgment.
"If they had not existed, you would not have killed your father and married your mother."
"Ugh... ugh..."
As he writhed in self-loathing, a revelation seemed to dawn upon him.
His aching head began to ease, and his thoughts became clearer.
Yes... that is right.
If only the cursed gods had not been there...
All of this is not Oedipus's fault, but the fault of the gods!
Then what he must do is...
"At last, I have found the right path. I, Gaia's blessing, shall bestow upon you."
To clear away all the temples of the hateful Olympian gods in Thebes.
Upon returning to the palace, the first thing King Oedipus did was to expel the prophet.
Only Oedipus could hear the prophet's words, so if he exiled him and later killed him, the secret would be kept.
"I will banish you for daring to speak falsehoods to the king. Leave Thebes at once!"
"... Understood."
"Your Majesty, but the prophet Tiresias..."
"I do not want to hear it! Guards! Take him away!"
Everyone was taken aback by the complete change in King Oedipus's demeanor as he expelled the prophet, contrasting sharply with the respectful manner in which he had summoned him.
But this was not the end.
"Gather the troops; I will lead them myself."
"Your Majesty, what is the reason for calling the soldiers...?"
"The plague in Thebes is due to the temples of the god of madness and the god of the underworld, so I plan to destroy the temples built on the outskirts of the city!"
At this, all the ministers were alarmed and tried to dissuade Oedipus.
No one had forgotten how King Pentheus had met his end by offending the god Dionysus.
Let alone now, when he intended to touch 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 wrath of the gods will fall upon Thebes!"
"Pluto rules the underworld, but he is also a god of mercy. Please, reconsider your decision..."
"I do not know what you heard from the prophet..."
Just yesterday, the benevolent king had been concerned for the suffering people afflicted by the plague.
If he followed through with his words and attacked the temple, Thebes could very well face destruction, and everyone desperately tried to persuade him.
But for some reason, he was overly stubborn.
As if he were possessed by something.
"Everyone be silent! The plague that has befallen Thebes is the fault of the gods, and if we destroy their temples, the plague will recede!"
At the king's command, the ministers fell silent.
Though disappointment was etched on their faces, there was nothing they could do.
Soon, the troops summoned by the order gathered at the palace, and Oedipus drew his sword and shouted.
His bloodshot eyes and strangely excited demeanor were clearly not normal.
"From now on, we head to the temple of Dionysus! Let us destroy the temple of the gods who spread the plague!"
The soldiers of Thebes, caught off guard by the sudden change in the king's orders, began to murmur among themselves.
"What is His Majesty saying?"
"Is the tragedy of King Pentheus happening again...?"
"Are you really going to fight against the god Dionysus?!"
"Why is the plague the fault of the god Dionysus...?"
Naturally, the general leading the soldiers also moved to petition the king.
As the commander approached to offer wise counsel, his eyes met the king's.
"Your Majesty, do you truly intend to attack the temple? If you incur the wrath of the gods..."
"Be quiet! The Olympian gods may be up in the clouds, but I stand before you now!"
"Ugh!"
Swish—
King Oedipus swiftly beheaded the general.
Red blood splattered, and the assembly was engulfed in fear.
It was one thing to kill someone he had once favored...
But the king's casually swung sword had split a human body in two.
"Is there anyone else who dares to oppose my words?"
A power that clearly transcended humanity.
Everyone realized that the wise king had changed in some way.
The temple of Dionysus faced an unexpected visitor.
Soldiers wielding ominous weapons surrounded the temple with anxious eyes.
"What on earth is happening?"
"Bring out everyone inside the temple and imprison them! Anyone who resists may be killed!"
King Oedipus took the lead in threatening the god's priests.
His soldiers, too, aimed their spears at the worshippers with uneasy expressions.
"I don't know if this is right..."
"Be quiet! Do you want to die by the king's blade?"
"Ugh... We will face divine punishment."
However, the morale of the soldiers was low.
No human would dare to commit the madness of attacking a temple.
"Bind the worshippers at once! Anyone who retreats will be killed!"
Though the god Dionysus was nowhere to be seen, the king's blade was close.
At the king's fierce command, the downcast soldiers began to capture the worshippers.
Until a massive leopard appeared from somewhere and began to maul the soldiers.
Roar!
"Ahhh!"
"Divine punishment, divine punishment!"
As a beast far larger than an ordinary leopard emerged, targeting the humans, King Oedipus stepped forward.
"Step aside! This mere beast is nothing!"
As he advanced, with feet much larger than anyone else's...
The leopard seemed to recognize the source of the threat to the worshippers and charged fiercely.
Grrr! Hiss!
Kaang—
Oedipus's sword flashed as it struck the leopard's claws.
The battle between the hero and the divine beast was enough to leave ordinary people spellbound.
"Haah!"
The sword befitting a hero who saved Thebes sliced through the air.
The divine beast nimbly dodged the attack, but...
"Hehe... I've got you, you beast."
Grrr!
Oedipus dropped his sword and seized the leopard's neck with his bare hands.
An impossible feat for an ordinary human.
Yet the power he received from Gaia elevated his body to that of a hero,
And ultimately, he strangled the divine beast to death.
Boom!
"Insane...!"
"His Majesty defeated the divine beast with his bare hands...?!"
"Did you all see that! A divine beast of Dionysus is nothing! Set the temple on fire!"
With veins bulging on his muscular arms, King Oedipus roared.
All the soldiers, fearing him, set the temple ablaze.
"Is this... right...?"
"Be quiet! Do you want to die right now?!"
As they watched the temple burn, behind King Oedipus, the eyes of the leopard's corpse slowly began to shine.
"Uh... oh! Look there!"
"It was definitely dead...?"
The fallen leopard slowly rose, glaring at King Oedipus and opening its mouth.
From the blood-stained mouth of the beast came human words.
"Is the king of Thebes you?"
Was it the beast's howl or a whisper of madness?
The low voice resonating from the leopard filled the humans with dread.
"How dare you make my temple like this? You shall not die peacefully..."
After the words laced with Dionysus's venom faded, the leopard once again ceased its movement.
Oedipus's fate was now almost sealed, yet he felt no fear.
"Ha! Even if you are a god, you can only send a beast!"
Spitting on the dead divine beast, he boldly mocked it.
In that moment, the wise king who had cleverly defeated the Sphinx was nowhere to be seen.
"Is this all you can do, threatening to curse me now that your trusted beast is dead?! But what of it! My very life is a curse!"
Oedipus roared towards the heavens.
His reddened eyes and face created a grotesque atmosphere, causing the soldiers to step back.
Though the burning temple of Dionysus was visible,
The soldiers felt a small sense of relief that they no longer had to commit further blasphemy.
They thought they would pray for forgiveness from Dionysus once they returned.
However...
Soon, a thunderous voice echoed in their ears.
"I will next burn the temple of Hades! All of you follow me!"
What? Whose temple...?!