Chapter 200: Kraken

The Red Comet faded from sight, leaving behind soldiers struggling to stay afloat amid the wreckage of shattered ships.

An Unsullied soldier clung to a piece of driftwood, trying to haul himself onto it when he felt something tug him down. A sharp pain shot through his leg as he was pulled beneath the waves, a trail of dark red bubbles bursting on the surface in his wake.

The soldiers fought desperately to stay afloat, but the sharks, drawn by the scent of blood and the flesh of their fallen comrades, were relentless. Although the effects of the Dragon's Horn had gradually dissipated, the stench of blood still hung in the air, keeping the predators circling. The sharks, once summoned by the horn, now feasted on the remains, making any attempt at rescue exceedingly difficult.

Some attempted to shoot arrows to aid their comrades in the water, but the limited visibility rendered their efforts nearly futile.

Viserys' flagship had escaped severe damage, thanks to its sturdy hull.

Regis, finally regaining his composure, looked around and climbed the mast to count the surviving ships. Of the twenty warships that had set sail, only thirteen remained. The loss of life was staggering; half of the fleet was gone. Even some of the sturdier ships had sunk, not to mention the swift vessels led by Virgil in the interception attempt.

'Wait... Prince!' Regis suddenly remembered Viserys' daring leap onto Euron's deck and wondered what had become of him.

"Up! All of you! Get close to the Silence and prepare to take it!" he commanded, taking charge of the flagship in Viserys' absence. The two ships were only thirty meters apart, and with a slight adjustment in direction, they could be brought together.

Regis led a small group aboard the Silence using grappling hooks. As they climbed aboard, a soldier approached him, holding a torch in one hand and a severed head in the other. "My lord, there's a human head here!"

Regis quickly identified it as Euron's. He had seen Euron in Orange Shore Bay and was certain there was no mistake. But if Euron was dead, where was Viserys?

After ordering Euron's body to be collected, Regis commanded a thorough search of the Silence. Nearly fifty men scoured every corner of the ship, but Viserys was nowhere to be found. Panic flickered within Regis, but he quickly forced himself to remain calm.

'No, the Prince is a strong swimmer. He'll be fine,' he reassured himself. Knowing that Viserys' disappearance couldn't be revealed just yet, he addressed the others, "Take control of this ship. Do not disturb any of the items. Rescue the soldiers who fell into the water immediately!"

"Yes!" came the immediate response.

Regis then sent a message to the other warships, announcing their victory, and ordered them to begin rescuing the soldiers who had fallen into the sea.

He personally took a small boat and headed in the most likely direction to search for Viserys.

Meanwhile, Viserys was in pursuit of a mute sailor who had taken over by Euron's spirit. With his superhuman constitution, Viserys swam nearly the entire way without needing to breathe, eventually spotting a figure swimming north.

Before Euron could react, he felt as if his ankles were clamped in iron. Glancing back, he saw no one but Viserys.

Euron wanted to curse, but he had forgotten that he had already cut out his tongue.

As Viserys closed in, he delivered a powerful punch to Euron's leg. The immense pain immediately incapacitated him. Without hesitation, Viserys grabbed Euron's neck, causing Euron to black out.

Feeling the crisp snap beneath his palm, Viserys knew this body was now lifeless.

Just as he thought he had killed him for good, a sudden thought crossed his mind. He used Dragon Dreams again. This time, Viserys realized that his vision had shifted to another place. 'This guy has transferred his consciousness again,' he thought.

"It's really hard to kill," he muttered as he came to.

Viserys found himself slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea. Below lay a pitch-black abyss, with only a faint glimmer of light above his head. Following the directions he had learned in Dragon Dreams, he swam toward the light once more.

...

Meanwhile, Regis was growing increasingly anxious. He wanted to mobilize the soldiers for a search, but doing so might cause a major disturbance in the camp. 'Danger,' he thought. Yet with each passing minute, Viserys was slipping further away, especially with that enormous Kraken, more than ten or twenty meters long, lurking in the waters.

The thought of the massive Kraken sent a chill down Regis' spine.

"Lord Regis."

Suddenly, Regis heard someone calling his name. He looked up to see Spider Webber approaching.

"Lord Regis, where is Prince Viserys? I need to see him."

Regis looked around cautiously before gesturing for Webber to come aboard to speak more privately.

Sensing the tension, Webber's unease grew.

"What? Prince Viserys is missing!"

"Don't make a fuss. Keep your men calm," Regis warned.

Webber's blood ran cold at the news.

Everyone had just witnessed the terrifying Kraken, and though no enemies were in sight, Viserys remained the backbone of the group. If the soldiers learned that something had happened to him, chaos would undoubtedly ensue. The most pressing concern was the uncertainty about whether the Kraken was still lurking nearby. Even though they had killed Euron, the battle was far from over—they had only dealt with a "part of the enemy."

The Kraken was not a defeated foe that would scatter and flee; it was a relentless predator. To maintain order, they had to keep Viserys' disappearance a secret.

"Let's split up and look for him!"

"Okay!"

...

By this time, Euron had already taken possession of another body. He had severely underestimated Viserys. Upon entering this new vessel, he instinctively scanned his surroundings, but exhaustion quickly overtook him, and he lay down on a piece of driftwood to rest. If he could sense the Kraken's direction, he might be able to escape.

What Euron didn't realize was that Viserys had already found him. Suddenly, he felt his ankles being grabbed again, and he was yanked beneath the water. Viserys' hands locked around his neck once more, and Euron swore he had never been so terrified in his life. But the fear was eclipsed by the dread of facing this man who was about to kill him for the third time.

Yet just before Viserys could snap Euron's neck, a smug smile curled Euron's lips.

...

Viserys, having killed Euron yet again, was about to use Dragon Dreams to discover which body he had possessed this time, when he suddenly felt something thick as a human leg coil around his waist. It wasn't a python—it was the Kraken, summoned by Euron.