Oedipus's Tragedy - (3)
"Next, I will burn down the temple of Hades! Everyone, follow me!"
The soldiers momentarily doubted their ears.
Not only was he going to burn down the temple of Dionysus, but he was also going to attack the temple of Hades?
Dionysus was one of the Twelve Olympian gods and the god of madness.
In the past, when King Pentheus of Thebes was horrifically killed for offending Dionysus, some people sympathized with King Pentheus and harbored resentment against the god of madness.
King Pentheus had merely imprisoned the followers of the god who were causing chaos while drunk, but he paid the price with his life, killed by his own insane family.
In Thebes, the name of Dionysus was spoken with a mix of fear, awe, and resentment.
It was only natural for a merciless god who killed a king for offending him and spread the madness of wine to be viewed in such a way.
"But Lord Pluto..."
"I could accept the burning of the temple of Dionysus, but..."
"...should we run away?"
However, in Thebes, the name of Hades held a slightly different meaning than that of Dionysus.
The god of the underworld, mercy, and wealth.
He bestowed blessings of wealth upon the living and mint to ward off the smell of decaying corpses, and there were rumors that he descended upon the body of a priest who was nearly killed by a monster to save him.
The fear felt from him was not the resentful terror associated with Dionysus.
It was a more primal fear, one of punishment after death.
The ruler of the underworld, so powerful that he was called the Zeus of the underworld.
"If I burn down the temple of Pluto... I will enter Tartarus after death..."
"What is the difference between this and destroying the temple of Zeus?"
"Is King Oedipus not afraid of death?"
"What are you doing! Hurry and follow me!"
King Oedipus pointed his sword at the soldiers.
However, unlike before, the soldiers could not move.
No matter how merciful Pluto was said to be...
If he simply let his temple be invaded, he would not be a god of mercy but a fool.
The terrible punishments he could impose flashed through everyone's minds.
"Your Majesty! Please retract your order! That is an act of disturbing a hornet's nest!"
"There are many statues of other gods in the temple of Pluto!"
In fact, the temple of Pluto contained statues of other gods besides him.
The god of death Thanatos, the goddess of forgetfulness Lethe, and even the vengeful goddesses whose names were feared to be spoken...
The soldiers pleaded with King Oedipus to retract his order.
However, what returned was the mad king's furious command.
"Hmph! Even if the god of Hades descends, I will make him flee to the underworld with my sword! Move at once! If you do not obey my command, I will slay you all!"
"...if you do not obey my command, I will slay you all!"
The mad King Oedipus tried to force the soldiers to move with his strength.
If he could intimidate them with the power he had used to slay the general and kill the divine beast, surely they would follow.
However...
"If we touch the temple of Pluto, won't we die anyway?"
"No, we might suffer eternally even after death."
"Damn... if it comes to this, I might as well..."
Even if they feared the blade before them, they could not fear it more than the god of the underworld.
Eternally suffering in the underworld was a punishment worse than death.
The soldiers began to look at Oedipus with a mix of dissatisfaction, resentment, and murderous intent.
Even if they stepped into the realm of heroes, wouldn’t it be worth a try if everyone charged at him?
As if sensing the disrespectful gazes, Oedipus turned with a grotesque smile.
"Oh ho... these fools... dare to defy the king's command?"
"It is scarier to incur the wrath of the god Pluto than to die at your hands!"
"We cannot obey your command! Stop this blasphemy at once!"
"To burn down the temple of the god of mercy, are you out of your mind!"
The soldiers' spears, defying the king's command, turned towards Oedipus.
However, the mad hero, empowered by Gaia, merely laughed.
"Heh heh... ha ha ha! Yes, you all shall die too!"
"Let us kill the mad king and offer him to Dionysus to plead for mercy!"
"Quickly, inform the priests of the temple of Pluto!"
"Because of you, I cannot suffer eternally even after death!"
News of the burning of the temple of Dionysus reached the citizens who gathered.
The rumor that the wise king had succumbed to madness and was about to burn down the temple of Pluto spread quickly.
"No, how could the god of mercy have bestowed such great grace upon the living..."
"Indeed! Look at those eyes! As if they have heard the whispers of Dionysus..."
"Has the king gone mad from wine? Attacking the temple, what a crazy act!"
Soon, the area in front of the temple of Dionysus was filled with the cries of countless soldiers and citizens.
In the midst of that chaos, King Oedipus swung his sword wildly, carrying out a massacre.
"Uwahaha! Die, all of you!"
Swish.
Slash.
"Ugh!"
"His strength is incredible!"
No matter how many soldiers there were, they were helpless.
Who could dare to withstand the power of a hero who transcended humanity?
Blood flowed, and red flowers bloomed on the earth.
In the midst of blood and madness, the king, smiling grotesquely, was no longer the hero who saved Thebes.
Meanwhile, news of Oedipus's massacre in Thebes reached the temple of Hades.
A soldier, who had been a follower of Hades, rushed in to convey the situation.
"... Everyone must take cover! The temple of Dionysus has also burned down!"
"Thank you for your concern, but as a priest, I cannot abandon the temple."
"How could the wise king go mad and burn down the temple while carrying out a massacre... how could this happen?"
"Just yesterday, he was a virtuous king caring for the plague-stricken citizens..."
The priests of Hades were taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
However, before they could grasp the situation accurately, another soldier rushed in urgently.
"Hurry and take cover! The mad king is coming this way, killing everyone who stands in his way!"
"Oh my... Hades..."
"The god of mercy must surely be watching over this place."
The priests, biting their lips, began to raise their hands in prayer one by one.
But just as the screams of the people grew closer, a figure with a sinister expression appeared.
A murderer drenched in blood from head to toe, it was Oedipus.
He had come running here, killing all the soldiers and citizens who stood in his way, gasping for breath.
"Hah... Hah... Olympus... gods... die..."
As the fallen hero slowly approached, everyone in the temple was engulfed in fear.
Even though the priests had received some of the divine powers, they were fundamentally non-combatants.
"How did he reach this place so quickly...!"
"Oh, god of mercy... please help us."
At this moment, in the underworld.
As the ruler of the underworld and one of the three main gods, I was working in my office.
What does it matter if you are a high-ranking god? There is a mountain of work to do.
Just look at Charon, one of the Protogenoi, the child of Nyx, the goddess of night, who is busy being a ferryman.
Yes... now, the god Thanatos was rushing in through the door.
"Hades! Didn't I ask you to tell me when humans started dying strangely?"
"Yes. I certainly did. Did the Gigantes attack the land of humans?"
Have they finally moved?
Where was the place attacked? Athens? Delphi?
"In Thebes, some madman is rampaging and carrying out a massacre. The dead have already exceeded dozens."
"A human, causing such chaos in a city?"
Just as I was puzzled by the news of a human causing a ruckus instead of the awaited Gigantes attack, the goddess Lethe, with her long silver hair flowing, rushed in.
"Hades! The king of Thebes is killing all the humans! But my intervention is not working...?"
"Are you saying the power of forgetfulness is ineffective?"
Without descending to the mortal realm or moving my true form, I used my powers moderately.
But even that should have made most humans forget...
"There must be a divine blessing or curse at play. Or perhaps a special bloodline..."
"Is it the power of Dionysus that has driven him mad?"
"That is unlikely. I will take a look at the mortal realm."
No matter how much of a god of madness Dionysus was, he would not massacre countless humans.
Thebes had my temple, and there were many followers of Dionysus as well.
I briefly shifted my consciousness to observe the mortal realm.
By borrowing the eyes and ears of the followers, I could see the mortal realm even without the desperate prayers of the priests.
A madman swinging a sword and slaughtering people.
"God of mercy... please help us."
"Oedipus has gone mad. Please..."
"Lord Pluto... the main road is filled with corpses and blood..."
The bodies of the followers praying desperately trembled.
Some thought this was a punishment from the gods of Olympus.
And that madman...
"Uwahaha!! Die!!"
With eyes as red as blood, an expression that was clearly abnormal, and a maddening laugh.
Finally... the divine power of the earth emanating from him.
Gaia had cursed the humans, driving them mad.
The reason for such chaos in Thebes was likely due to the presence of my and Dionysus's temples.
"An ordinary human cannot be dealt with. Thanatos, I will bring that human to the underworld, so please summon the goddess Mnemosyne."
"Are you going yourself? The ruler of the underworld does not need to intervene. I have followers praying to me..."
"Just like with Sisyphus, I know you plan to take a break while you're out."
"No... ahem..."
I stopped Thanatos from trying to escape to the mortal realm and closed my eyes.
The best vessel for descent was indeed the body of a female priest who had once accepted me.
'My priest, Phenedeia.'
"Hah...! Yes, your servant. Phenedeia obeys your command."
'I will need to borrow your body for a while, just like last time.'
"It is an honor...! Lord Hades!"
A poor soul trapped by Gaia...
A swift death would be mercy for him.