The Greece Antagonist

The next day, news of King Pentheus's death spread throughout the palace.

On his way to Glitalon Valley, he had been struck by divine retribution and torn to pieces by several lions in the forest.

Given that the old King was dead and the deities had issued a warning, the orders to arrest and execute the followers of the Dionysian Sect were temporarily shelved until the funeral was conducted and a new King was enthroned, after which everything would be reconsidered.

The Thebans, strangely, did not grieve for the death of King Pentheus; instead, they breathed a sigh of relief because of it.

After all, they themselves or their family members were, more or less, on the path of pursuing joy; if that stubborn King had been left to prosecute indefinitely, the ones to suffer might have been the entire city of Thebes.

To speak an unspeakable truth, his death was of more value than his life.

Hence, in the Theban city immersed in feigned solemnity, wine for celebration sold out.

Very few were willing to offer sincere mourning for the death of the old King Pentheus.

The only one who cared, it seemed, was Agave, who at that moment knelt before the coffin, weeping.

As a mother, even if her son was stubborn and cruel, she still harbored a sliver of maternal affection in her heart.

Besides, her child had died in such a horrific way.

Agave slightly lifted her head, her slightly swollen eyes looked at the twisted face in the coffin and the body made of dirt below it, and she couldn't help but be overwhelmed with grief; the tears that had just stopped, now uncontrollably surged again.

It was as if the candles burning in the palace detected a mother's sorrow, flickering and dancing violently.

"Look at how tragically your son died..."

In a daze, a mournful sigh seemed to echo near Agave's ear and then traveled down her ear canal and into her mind, stirring continuously in the depths of her memory.

The screams and wails of her son before his death appeared in her mind, turning into sharp blades that pierced the heart of the mother, leaving behind wounds that bled continuously.

"Don't you want to avenge him?"

The ensuing ethereal inquiry seemed to kindle the rage in Agave's heart.

The mother's eyes were gradually filled with bloodshot veins, brewing a crimson of hatred, as her lips moved mechanically.

"Yes, revenge!"

"That's right, revenge..."

The blood figure in the darkness curled its lips into a pleased smile.

However, the next moment, the mother kneeling before the coffin suddenly turned around, with a sturdy staff appearing in her hands, and she lifted its sharp end threateningly at the shadow behind her.

The unexpected move froze the blood figure's smile, who retreated instinctively, stumbling in the process.

"Buzz!"

Out of nowhere, green grapevines burst through the soil, accompanied by a dull tremor of the ground, already entangling the ankles of the blood figure.

Damn it!

The blood figure in the dark changed color, trying to break free, but it was too late.

"Die, you vile woman!"

Agave charged forward with a curse of indignation, lifting the god-given staff with both hands and thrusting its tip forcefully into the chest of the blood figure.

"Pfft!"

The exceptionally sharp staff pierced through the figure, and the divine power within it began to pulsate.

The blood figure shattered instantly, turning into a turbulent red light that scattered in all directions, and Agave instinctively closed her eyes.

However, the anticipated cold and pain did not come.

The grapevines on the ground grew upwards into a green wall, repelling the impact and protecting the interior.

"There's an assassin! Protect her! Protect her!"

Meanwhile, the members of the Divine Blood Guard in the palace who heard the commotion rushed over and forcefully burst through the door.

However, at the chaotic scene, they only saw the fading red light at the door and Agave lying unconscious on the ground.

For some reason, the Dowager Queen, who had been marked with sorrow and pain on her face due to the tragedy of losing her son, now had a relaxed brow and looked content as if she had managed to unravel her knotted emotions and was now submerged in the sweetness of dreamland.

The tall and burly leader of the Imperial Guard emerged from the soldiers, entered the main hall, and after sweeping a glance at the red remains on the ground, relaxed his furrowed brow, then bent down to pull out the staff staked into the floor and solemnly announced to the soldiers.

"The gods be praised, the evildoer who misled His Majesty and attacked the Dowager Queen has been executed. Leave some men behind to clean up the mess, everyone else escort the Dowager Queen back to rest!"

"At once!"

The soldiers pounded their chests in response and then divided into two groups to carry out their orders.

The boisterous palace regained its tranquility.

~~

Meanwhile, in a dense vineyard outside the city,

Luo En, sitting in a hut, opened his eyes and spoke thoughtfully.

"An illusionary body? No wonder..."

Then, those sharp purple eyes gazed towards Thebes under the cover of night, locking onto a blood-red figure leaping over the city walls. Lazily, he left the hut, stretching his limbs.

"Cautious enough, but even the craftiest fox can't outwit a good huntress, General!"

The next moment, two pieces of Zeus's Gold clinked crisply on the dinner plate before the hut as a [Goat] reared up and, amidst the swirling ether, transformed into a gust of wind, vanishing into the dense night.

Almost simultaneously, the blood-colored figure that had just bolted out of Thebes crashed head-on into a golden comet racing as swiftly as lightning.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by the roaring clash of two divine powers, the thick blood-light shattered, and the blood-color figure was forcefully stopped, revealing its true form.

—It was a red-haired beauty with a graceful and tall figure, wrapped in malevolent blood energy and draped in mourning black gauze. Seemingly teardrops of blood flowed in those crimson eyes, where countless contorted figures were cursing, bellowing, fighting, and wailing...

"Not bad, little one,"

The red-haired beauty, gazing at the golden-haired, blue-eyed youth before her, smiled coquettishly, her crimson eyes shimmering with teasing and curiosity.

"How did you find me?"

"Pentheus is a fool, but not an idiot."

"Oh? What's the difference?"

"A fool is blindly arrogant, not understanding the fear of the gods; but at least he cherishes his little life, afraid of death. Sadly, I gave him many chances and warnings, yet he continued on his death march without looking back."

Luo En sighed helplessly and looked up somberly at the red-haired beauty, whose eyes were alight with a thirst for knowledge.

"Why did the fool who trembled with fear last night become an idiot who doesn't even care about his own life in just one day? Or perhaps, has someone made him fearless?"

Truthfully, he felt something was amiss from the moment Pentheus dared to ride with him, leaving the Divine Blood Guard behind to go alone to Mount Cyllene.

Especially since, after they had left the city, his [Madness] hadn't fully affected the uninformed young King, making this cousin back down from the challenge.

Clearly, someone had used another kind of force to intervene in Pentheus's mind beforehand, leading him down a no-return path.

Also, it was precisely because he confirmed his cousin was beyond saving that Luo En sentenced him to death without any qualms.

Moreover, things turned out exactly as he had expected, with the spineless Pentheus not uttering even a few pleas for mercy until death.

This cousin, too brave for his own good.

From the evidence before and after, the conclusion was clear.

—There truly was a third party with ill intentions within Thebes.

Hence, Luo En used his memory of Divinity to alter the bloody scene where the followers killed Pentheus, and then reached an agreement with the leader of the Imperial Guard who was present at the scene.

—Pentheus died by the lion's maw because of his stubbornness, unrelated to others.

—When the Divine Blood Guard arrived, everything was already settled; they could only join the nobles among the heretics to kill all the malevolent lions, avenging the King in their place,

This way, the Divine Blood Guard would not have to face interrogation for their negligence, and those nobles who suffered innocently could clear their notorious names, return to Thebes, and, by the way, act as guarantors for the Divine Blood Guard. Read new chapters at empire

It was a result beneficial to both parties, and the leader of the Imperial Guard had no reason to refuse.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Besides this, Luo En also revealed to the Great General and the Queen Mother.

—The death of Pentheus was because someone manipulated behind the scenes, and he would personally bring out the murderer!

The revenge-driven Queen Mother and the Great General, who had sensed something was amiss with the King, immediately promised to cooperate fully with a certain Apostle of the God of Wine.

As expected, the mastermind came to visit the Queen Mother in secret on the second night after Pentheus's death, intending to bewitch her and continue their game.

However, Luo En, who was well prepared, had already set up protective barriers in the Queen Mother's mind.

Consequently, with his help, Agave personally accomplished "revenge" while bearing the pain of losing her son.

At least, that's what she believes now, and there's no need to shatter the beautiful illusion of a grieving mother.

Moreover, the task that she has yet to complete could well be undertaken by him, her dutiful great-nephew.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap!"

At this moment, upon hearing the man before her lay out his elaborate plans and tactics, the red-haired beauty couldn't help but burst into applause, her crimson eyes brimming with admiration.

"You're a natural conspirator, a genius at manipulating hearts! How about becoming my Lesser Deity? I will bestow upon you eternal glory!"

Faced with the olive branch extended by the red-haired goddess, Luo En seemed quite tempted, "And you are?"

The red-haired goddess held her majestic weapons with pride and answered resolutely, "My name is—Eris!"