Extra's Death: I Am the Son of Hades

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.

Karax was no longer just a warrior anymore.

He was the last safeguard.

Karax turned slightly toward the curtain, though he still could not see her.

“We will meet again, mother,” he said.

“Goodbye,” she said with warmth.

Karax clenched his fists, but he didn’t say anything more.

He turned around to leave.

The inner sanctum gave way to a massive chamber where the light dimmed and the temperature dropped slightly.

This was the third layer, where they would fight the intruder.

The entire second layer of the colony had been pulled back here. Hundreds of Level 3 ants stood in formation, their sharp claws twitching in anticipation.

A few Level 4s rested near the far wall. Many of them were wounded. Their bandaged limbs and sluggish movements told the story of their encounter with the last intruder.

All of them turned as Karax came out of the chamber of the Queen.

Even in the tense atmosphere, the sight of him made the chamber still.

His figure was unmistakable. He was the only humanoid ant in their species, a privilege granted solely to the Champion.

Unlike the others, who bore the hardened carapaces and mantis-like limbs of the Sanguiscreech line, Karax stood upright.

He was taller, leaner, more refined in shape, but still unmistakably ant.

He walked through them slowly, touching shoulders, nodding where needed. When he reached the edge of a unit, he stopped and spoke.

“We’ve faced worse,” he said, loud enough for nearby ants to hear. “This intruder is clever, but not unstoppable. You’ve all done well holding this position. Soon, he will fall. So raise your heads and be proud, for the monster is watching us!”

There were no cheers—ants didn’t cheer—but their posture changed.

Their backs straightened, movements steadied, and their antennae twitched with renewed focus.

He moved to another group.

“Don’t fear what comes next. You’ve survived countless battles. This is just one more.”

“Karax,” one of the Level 3s asked, “can we win this?”

“We will,” Karax said simply. “As long as the blessing of Mother shines upon us, we will stand victorious.”

His presence gave them comfort, and confidence. As long as the Champion was here, the hive still had a chance.

But then came the first sign of collapse.

A sudden groan echoed from the rear. One of the Level 3s who had been maintaining the Infinite Prison collapsed, foam trailing from his mandibles.

Another soon followed. Then a third. Their bodies twitched on the ground, and in seconds, more began dropping.

Karax’s expression darkened.

“Stop the Prison,” he ordered immediately.

“But—” one of the ants began.

“No buts,” Karax snapped. “If even one more of you falls before the fight begins, we’ll have lost before it starts. Disengage.”

The remaining Level 3s, though exhausted, began breaking down the Concept.

But they were too late.

Just as the Infinite Prison began to unravel, several of the ants coughed up blood.

One of them screamed before his thorax burst open in a wet spray. Two others followed. The ground shook as parts of their bodies exploded without warning.

Karax rushed forward. “What happened?”

One of the few conscious ants looked up, barely able to keep himself upright.

“He… he exploded everything.”

“What?”

“The intruder. He had been creating blood until now, and all the blood he created… he detonated it. Inside the prison. All at once. He destroyed it from within.”

Karax’s thoughts froze for a second.

Even he had underestimated how far the intruder would go.

Exploding everything at once?

From the reports he had received, the intruder the same amount of that their colony would create in years.

That much blood… that much power… It wasn’t just a reckless move. It was suicidal.

But then, something moved in the shaft above.

A faint Consciousness floated in the vertical tunnel that connected Layer One and Layer Two.

The chamber fell silent. All of the ants felt a deep sense of danger.

Nameless Death began to generate copious amount of energy.

Then, slowly, his body regenerated along with everything.

The intruder looked around briefly, noted the chamber was empty, and without a word, turned and jumped down the shaft to the third layer.

“Hold your positions.” Karax’s voice echoed across the hall in the third layer.

No one disobeyed.

They stood still, watching the shaft as the last echoes of Nameless Death’s descent faded.

One of the younger Level 3s shifted uneasily.

Karax said nothing, but his eyes narrowed.

He could see the intruder clearly now.

The humanoid monster had red eyes that looked like fresh blood.

His body was covered in countless scars.

And behind him, six orbs floated in a perfect circular formation.

The ants could tell he was only Level 2, but they felt it.

Danger.

No, it was more than that. Their instincts screamed at them. The monster in front of them was Death itself.

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