The appearance of the Red Comet momentarily quelled the fighting on the battlefield. But the pause was brief. At the captain's command, Viserys's warships resumed their encirclement of Euron's Silence. However, something felt different—Viserys and Euron both sensed it.
The Red Comet stirred something within them, a sensation they hadn't experienced before. It was as if a dormant power had awakened inside their bodies, like a sense long forgotten had suddenly been restored. The air tasted different, richer, as if filled with something magical.
It was magic!
Both men felt a surge of power swelling within them. Viserys quickly checked his internal panel and saw the 'Magic' column rising rapidly. The numbers climbed higher and higher—one hundred, one hundred and three, one hundred and seven, two hundred and six, three hundred and nine... It kept rising until it reached seven hundred before finally stopping.
Viserys knew that Euron must have felt the same surge, and possibly even more intensely. Euron ran to the Dragon's Horn and blew it himself.
Bling!
A deep, resonant sound echoed across the sea, reaching the ears of soldiers on the other ships. Anxiety rippled through the ranks as they gripped their weapons tightly, fearing the reappearance of the Kraken. The tension was palpable, like standing on the edge of a precipice.
Suddenly, Viserys's ship lurched violently, as if struck by something massive. Several soldiers, caught off guard, were thrown to the deck but quickly scrambled to their feet. The unsettling part was that the impact wasn't confined to just one ship—it rippled through the entire fleet.
Curious and alarmed, some sailors dared to peer over the railings, scanning the dark waters below. But they didn't see the terrifying tentacles they had expected.
"Did we hit a reef?" one sailor muttered.
Boom!
Another impact rocked the ships, and this time, the cause became clear. In the red glow of the comet, several massive fins as large as sails emerged from the sea.
It wasn't the Kraken this time—it was sharks and whales. Euron had summoned these enormous sea creatures instead.
Viserys scanned the chaos around him. He watched as whales and sharks leaped out of the water, smashing into the ships. One of the specially built speedboats was capsized by a whale's impact, flipping upside down in the water before being swallowed by the ocean within moments. The sailors who had been thrown into the sea were quickly torn apart by the sharks, the scent of blood thickening in the sea breeze.
"This dragon horn is fucking powerful!" Viserys muttered, his eyes narrowing as he focused on Euron. He noticed smoke rising from Euron's throat—an unsettling sight. Euron had driven his finger into a sailor's throat, using blood magic to heal the wounds inflicted by the horn's power.
At some point, Euron's eye patch had fallen off, revealing a completely black eye that now stared directly at Viserys. The sight was unsettling, but Viserys held his ground as Euron grabbed another sailor and forced him to blow the Dragon Horn once more. The sea creatures responded with a renewed, ferocious attack on Viserys's fleet.
But Viserys, now brimming with magic, was ready.
He drove his flaming sword into the deck, and a whirlwind of flames erupted around him, the heat so intense it knocked nearby sailors off their feet. The mute sailors, who had been closing in, were forced to retreat, unable to withstand the blistering heat. The flames spread rapidly, forcing Euron's ally, Dorren, to retreat as well.
Dorren knew he didn't stand a chance against Viserys's newfound power—he hadn't yet mastered any significant magic, and his plan was to head to Qohor to kidnap some Warlocks and learn black magic. But that was of little use now; any closer, and he would be at a severe disadvantage.
As Viserys advanced, Euron, now in a panic, ordered a flock of crows to attack. But the birds, driven by suicidal intent, were no more effective than moths drawn to a flame. They disintegrated in the fiery whirlwind surrounding Viserys.
Desperate, Euron used blood magic to heal himself slightly, then lunged at Viserys with his Dragonbone spear. But Viserys was ready. As the two closed in on each other, Viserys grabbed the spear with one hand, nullifying the attack. The power flowing through him only grew stronger—he could feel his magic increasing, as if even Euron's attack had somehow strengthened him.
Viserys swung his Valyrian steel sword at Euron's right arm, but Euron, in a last-ditch effort, grabbed the Dragon Horn and swung it at Viserys. The blow connected, but Viserys, gritting his teeth, absorbed the impact and followed through with his strike, severing Euron's arm.
The heavy horn clattered to the deck as Viserys's sword sliced clean through Euron's neck. There was no need for words. Euron's death was the only option—he was too dangerous to be left alive, and Viserys had no interest in whatever dark secrets he might hold. In this world, villains like Euron only grew more dangerous with every breath they took.
Euron's head flew from his shoulders, spinning three and a half times in the air before landing with a dull thud on the deck.
As Viserys looked down at Euron's headless corpse, he felt a wave of relief. Turning to the mute sailors who had once served Euron so loyally, he saw that they were all staring at the fallen body in stunned silence.
"Put down your weapons," Viserys commanded. "I won't kill you."
These men, no matter the crimes they had committed under Euron's command, had endured his torture for so long that Viserys considered them partially redeemed. He planned to have them screened and, after a period of labor to reform, they could be allowed to return to the world of normal men.
However, Viserys quickly realized something was wrong. The sailors stood motionless, as if frozen in time, their bodies rigid like wax figures. The eerie sight sent a wave of unease through Viserys.
"Of course," Viserys muttered to himself, recalling the vision from the Moon's Revelation where he had fought the Kraken. It dawned on him that the battle wasn't over yet. Despite this, he still attempted to rouse the mute sailors. "Drop your weapons. I don't—"
But before he could finish, the sailors abruptly turned, sprinted to the railing, and leaped into the sea as if driven by a sudden, desperate urge.
Through the eyes of the golden eagle, Viserys saw the sailors scattering in all directions. He quickly realized what was happening: Euron had transferred his consciousness into them, using the power of the Red Comet to control more than a dozen individuals simultaneously.
'Am I really going to let them escape?' Viserys thought.
Determined not to lose Euron's spirit, Viserys lay down on the deck and forced himself into sleep. Under the influence of the Red Comet, his Dragon Dreams were sharper, more vivid than ever before. In the dream, he scanned the area, carefully determining the direction of Euron's consciousness.
Without hesitation, he woke, leaped to his feet, and dove into the sea, following the trail of Euron's escaping spirit.