The kraken's corpse lay on the shore of the Clear Moon Waterfall.
Massive. Grotesque. Dead.
Its tentacles sprawled across the rocks like twisted ropes, still oozing black blood. The hunters had hacked it to pieces, ensuring it would never threaten anyone again.
Sha Chen stood over the remains, his white eyes cold.
"Where did it come from?" Bái Fēng asked, wiping his blade clean. His face was troubled. "Deepwater krakens do not belong in mountain pools. They live in the ocean. Deep ocean. How did it get HERE?"
"I do not know," Sha Chen said quietly.
But that was a lie.
He had an idea.
A terrible, uncomfortable idea that he did not want to voice.
Because if he was right.….
He pushed the thought away. "Burn it. All of it. I do not want any trace of this creature left."
"Yes, Alpha."
The hunters set to work, building a pyre. Within minutes, the kraken was engulfed in flames, the stench of burning flesh filling the air.
Sha Chen watched until there was nothing left but ash.
