Extra's Death: I Am the Son of Hades novel Chapter 592

Karax POV (The Champion of Sanguiscreech Ants)

Karax knelt in silence.

The stone beneath him was cool, carved smooth over centuries.

He faced a vast chamber sealed behind golden curtains. Warm light leaked from the other side, pulsing faintly. That was where she resided, their mother, their sovereign.

The Queen of the Sanguiscreech Ants.

Her voice emerged from beyond the veil.

"He is going to break out of the Infinite Prison soon."

Karax's jaw tensed. His body didn't move, but his mind raced.

He didn't understand what was happening anymore.

The Jungle of Red Silence had always been dangerous, but it was home. Predictable, in its own cruel way, and yet, recently, something had shifted.

First, an unknown humanoid had entered the jungle.

He'd slaughtered their Level 5 elites without warning, and nearly wiped out the Level 4 ants too, saying he was training.

Karax had been away that day, leading an expedition deeper into the root tunnels. It was the only reason why he was still alive.

The others hadn't been as lucky.

But strangely, the massacre hadn't shocked the colony the way it would other species.

They were ants. Their society had always treated individual death as a means to further collective progress. Losses didn't disturb them. Growth mattered more than lives.

When the humanoid monster continued into the inner jungle and fought other monsters, the ants had seen an opportunity.

With those creatures gone, they could expand into territory they'd never dared touch before.

That alone had made the Queen smile.

But now, another humanoid had arrived. This one different. He was weaker, far weaker than the first one.

He seemed to be only Level 2.

Yet he was far more troublesome.

Tricks, unknown abilities, strange Darkness, he had already reached the second layer of the colony.

And even the Infinite Prison, something that could hold Level 5 gods with ease, was beginning to crack under his energy output.

Karax's chest tightened.

He looked up, even though he still couldn't see her.

"Mother," he said. "Why do you speak as if we've lost already?"

"Because we have."

"No," Karax said firmly. "Don't say that."

"Karax," she continued in a calm voice, "Fate has begun to shift. I no longer see clear paths. The future has gone dark."

He clenched his fists. "Then we fight. Isn't that what we've always done?"

There was a pause, then, a faint chuckle, deep and affectionate, echoed.

"You are still young," she said. "But not wrong. If you wish to fight, then I have my conditions."

Energy rippled through the chamber.

From behind the golden curtain, a soft hum rose.

A slow-moving stream of water, pure and glowing came. It slipped past the curtain like a living ribbon, circling Karax.

His eyes widened.

"This is—"

"The Spring of Life," the Queen said. "Our sacred treasure. It was given to me by the Goddess of Spring and Life, back when this world still breathed. It is why we became what we are today, and the reason we could evolve from mere ants into Gods."

The water continued to spiral around him, its light soaking into his skin, into his Core, Seed of Existence, and something much more deeper.

"I am giving it to you now, Karax. It is now yours to wield."

He couldn't speak for a moment.

In all their history, the Queen had only shared the Spring with a few champions. Even then, she had always taken it back. But now—

She believed this was the end.

Karax gritted his teeth.

He should've felt honored. This moment, this gift, it should've filled him with pride. But instead, all he felt was bitterness.

"You think we'll lose," he said.

"I think we may," the Queen answered. "I've lived long enough to know when the threads of fate twist beyond our control."

Karax slowly stood.

"I don't accept that," he said.

"Good." The Queen's voice was softer now. "But listen well."

The stream of water thickened slightly, its light growing more intense.

"If you lose against him once," she said, "you are to retreat. Do not die for pride. Leave this colony, find another place, and build us again. You are the Champion of this generation, Karax. As long as you survive, our species will not end."

Karax didn't respond right away.

His hands shook from frustration.

"I don't want to run," he muttered.

"You won't have to," she said. "This is not surrender. It is preservation."

Karax took a breath.

The Spring of Life settled into him, its stream flowing through his limbs and merging into his Existence and Consciousness.

He could feel the change already.

His blood became purer, and his senses were now sharper.

But this was just the surface adavantage.

The true power of Spring of Life was something else.

"Go, Karax," the Queen said finally.