He roared and his voice boomed throughout the ship.
A roar that shook the soul of the warriors. A roar that ignited the flame of passion.
The warriors' eyes shined with newfound resolution and the fear that gripped them earlier had dissipated.
They stood up.
"Are you going to watch that monster win over your life?" He looked at the men.
"No!" the men roared back.
"Are you going to just stay here and let it do what it wants?"
"NO!"
"Then stand up and fight. This is the last stand. Our final battle. Our last breath. This is our life and we will defend it. We will not die without a fight. We will fight, even when there is no hope. We will fight."
The men raised their weapons, and their eyes were ablaze.
"My name is Eldric Stormwatch, the lost son of the Highlord Stormwatch. I'm going back to my family after a decade. I may die before I see my parents but I would not die a coward. I will stand here, I will fight here, with you, until my last breath. Let us all die together. Die with no regrets. Die without shame. Die standing."
He raised his sword high.
"FOR STORMWATCH! FOR YOUR LIVES!"
His sword glinted with silver and the men roared.
Amidst the roaring, some people were intensely looking at him. Their eyes wide and mouth open.
'Yes. Look at me. Look at my eyes and see the crimson in it. See the resemblance of eyes.'
He internally laughed.
He wanted them to exclaim his name. To acknowledge him. If he survives, this will be a bonus but if he does not, it would be a tragedy. He hoped for the former.
Though hope never give him anything back.
He could see Lumiere opening her mouth and closing it.
'Too speechless to say anything? The revelation must have shattered her to her core.'
He grinned.
"A-are you sure about that?"
"Eh..."
But the words uttered by Lumiere were entirely different from what he had anticipated.
'What?'
She was not shocked, she was confused.
"What the hell!" he frowned.
"N-no, no, no, don't misunderstand me. It's just..."
She trailed off looking him from head to toe.
'Oh? That was it.'
"Well, the past decade I had to spend my time without any memory on the slums of a small town."
"I-I see." Lumiere looked really confused right now. "Then welcome back, Lord Eldric."
She bowed elegantly. Despite being covered in blood. Despite the chilling air around her, there was a warmth to her smile. Not a fake one like his, nor a smile that he gets from Lavender but the smile he yearned from Lavender which reserved only for Eldric and other high status and handsome men.
A smile from the bottom of her heart.
'Well, that's a new.'
"It's coming down!" someone shouted and brought the pair to the reality of the situation.
The tentacle was indeed coming down. Four giant black masses are coming to crash the ship.
All the hope he had just left his body.
'This is a bloody hopeless!'
"Lady Lumiere..." he quickly called out the girl. "If anyhow we survive, please make sure this information stays within this group of people."
Lumiere held his gaze for a moment, like she was remembering something from the past, and then nodded.
"Of course, my lord, your secret is safe with me." she gave him a small smile and turned to face the upcoming hell.
Though he had now given up. His proclamation of courage and bravery has inspired dozens of soldiers. They will fight and die with honor.
He, on the other hand, was a selfish man. He didn't want to die. Not here, not now. He wants to live.
There were still many things he wanted to do.
"For Lord Eldric Stormwatch!"
A war cry came from the side. It was the young red head who was just moments ago slumped on the ground with tears and snot on his face.
He was now standing up, raising his sword high above his head. Proclaiming "fuck you!" to the imminent death.
'What a sad fellow.'
Morvain shook his head. He had already given up and others are also on the same side but this guy alone was--
"For Lord Eldric Stormwatch!"
Echoed another voice.
"FOR LORD EDRIC STORMWATCH!"
And another and another.
Until the entire group was shouting his name.
'Somebody bury me already. What the hell is this delay, you damn Kraken!'
The eyes of the rejuvenated warriors turned towards him, there were flames on them. On the other hand, on his eyes, it was just a dullness which was the result of not properly getting calibrated with his new pair of eyes.
Unbeknownst to him, the onlookers were thinking that this man had no fear on him. The stoic expression, which was a gift from the slum and the cold gaze, the result of the experiment, was just adding on to the fire.
"How are you going to kill this monster?"
"This man, this is the man who will lead us to victory."
"I have heard the stories of the old High Lord, now I can see the resemblance."
"What a man."
The warriors were shouting.
He could also feel Lumiere's eyes on him. So does, Captain Orion.
He gulped and took a deep breath.
"Warriors!" he shouted and the world held its breath. "In about a minute, we're all going to die. In about a minute this ship is going to be a wreck. In about a minute the world would not be the same ever again. And in about a minute we would all be dead.
"But..."
His words carried over the entire ship.
"I will not accept it. No. We will not accept it. We're the blood of the old men. The same men who rule over the world. Not this slimy, ugly creature but US! WE RULE THE WORLD AND WE WILL NOT LET THIS MONSTER DOMINATE US."
"THIS IS OUR LAND!"
"THIS IS OUR FAMILY!"
Chorus of warriors' echoed the shout.
"WE WILL FIGHT UNTIL THE END. WE WILL FIGHT, EVEN IF THE GODS THEMSELVES COME TO FIGHT US."
"Hear that, you stupid creatures! The last stand is here and we're not backing down. Not now, not ever.
"COME AT ME YOU COWARD!"
Morvain shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Warriors! Raise your swords."
Then the tentacle descended and the world turned dark.