ch-5 END

Back on the enormous ship, William watched his final moments unfold like a movie in front of him.

Despite being surrounded by enemies—this time in overwhelming numbers and scale—he felt calm.

Even in his mortal state, stripped of divine power and strength, William had not lost his resilient soul or unbreakable will.

He has witnessed countless cycles of creation and destruction—some brought about by his own hand. He has watched eras rise and fall, pass into dust, and he has seen it all. A being who has risen above any constraint that could hope to bind him. And now, a scene like this, playing out before him, meant nothing. His mortal form in a previous life situation held no sway over someone like him.

For anyone else—perhaps even a seasoned veteran—this would have been paralyzing event. The sight of such a crushing force would've shattered their will to move. It reminded William of Commodore Norrington: a man of pride and arrogance, someone who lived with the illusion of control until reality spiraled beyond his grasp, leading to his collapse at the end.

William could have ended up like that—if he hadn't been who he was.

Still, even he knew there was no way out this time.

Before, he had escaped situations like this using the Phantom Drive—even from the same enemy just moments ago—but now it was on cooldown. It would take hours to reset, a luxury he could no longer afford.

And he wasn't the only one aware of that. Admiral Ranger and the crew of the Phantom knew it, too.

Death was no longer a threat—it was a certainty.

Admiral Ranger and the crew of the Phantom knew it too—death was no longer approaching, it was inevitable.

William watched himself walking toward the central command console, hands steady as he began entering a series of commands. A red-tinted holographic interface materialized in front of him—clear indication that he had initiated the supercharge sequence for the Phantom's star engines.

The crimson glow didn't go unnoticed. The crew tensed. Admiral Ranger, his face grim and stone-like, finally spoke. His voice wasn't laced with hesitation or fear. It wasn't desperation that moved him—but the need to voice what everyone else was thinking.

He knew what William was doing. They all did.

The overcharged star core, the configuration—this wasn't an escape. It was a self-destruction protocol, one that would detonate with such force it would take the enemy fleet with it.

And yet, Ranger still asked the question echoing in every heart on that bridge.

"Commander… is there truly no way out of this? Do we really have to do this?"

He already knew the answer. But hope dies last.

William, calm and focused, didn't even pause as his fingers moved across the console, accelerating the sequence. His voice was steady, neutral.

"None that I can see, Darian. At this point, only a miracle can save us."

Then he looked up at the viewscreen. Enemy ships were forming ranks, surrounding them in a tightening ring of steel and fire.

"And that," William added, eyes fixed on the impossible odds, "seems unlikely."

He turned to face everyone present—his crew, his comrades—for what would likely be the final time.

Then, without a word, he resumed the final steps of the self-destruction protocol.

while thinking!!

It wasn't that William wanted to die.

But faced with the overwhelming number and power of the enemy, he knew there was nothing he could do to save them—not unless he could unleash his true power. And he couldn't. Not because someone else had stopped him, but because of the very restrictions he had placed on himself.

That, however, was another story.

The real issue now was the enemy. This was no ordinary threat. Their pursuit was too precise, their presence too calculated. They hadn't stumbled upon the Phantom—they had come for him, and they knew exactly where he was going.

And the ships surrounding them weren't random, patched-up junk just like Admiral Ranger had said. They were unified in design—coordinated, sleek. Tier-One class vessels, just like the Phantom.

While the Phantom, his current ship, was also a Tier-1 vessel, there were differences even within the same classification.

the Phantom was a different beast entirely. It was a masterpiece, crafted from the highest-grade materials and outfitted with cutting-edge tech, it outmatched most ships in its class. In fact, its capabilities could rival even top-tier battleships.

 In many respects, it could rival even standard battleships, both in firepower and defense.

But even that had limits.

Yes, the Phantom could challenge a battleship. But it wasn't one. At its core, it was a destroyer—a sleek, powerful vessel, not designed to take on a fleet alone. Especially not a fleet this size, and certainly not when half of it included heavy cruisers.

There was no hope of victory in a direct confrontation. Even a covert escape was impossible. The combined firepower of the enemy would overwhelm the Phantom in minutes.

William knew it the moment he saw the fleet's configuration—their numbers, their ship classes. The conclusion was immediate and absolute.

There was only one thing left to do.

Supercharge the star core. Take as many of them down as he could. Make them pay.

If this was to be his end, then it would be on his terms—with purpose, and with fire.

And that's what he did!!

All the lights aboard the Phantom turned red as the self-destruction sequence was initiated.

A calm, neutral voice echoed through the bridge—the ship's AI."Self-destruction recognized. Star core charging. One minute to critical limit."

William nodded silently, acknowledging the countdown.

He turned from the console to face his crew. Seasoned warriors, veterans of countless battles—and yet, in that moment, every face was etched with the weight of inevitability. Whatever scraps of hope they had clung to were gone.

Still, no one protested. If there had been even the slightest chance to survive, William would have taken it. They knew that. He wasn't a man to surrender possibility lightly. And so they followed him—not out of blind loyalty, but because they trusted his judgment even now.

William spoke.

"We have two choices."

A flicker of attention, a sliver of raised hope—though not much.

"We can wait," he continued, "let the enemy drown us in fire, and die a slow, certain death…"

He paused, scanning the room. Then:

"Or we can take control of our fate. We destroy ourselves—and take them with us."

That hit home. For a moment, something returned to the crew—not fear, not desperation—but resolve.

These weren't civilians. They were elite. Soldiers who had faced death more than once. And now, faced with two versions of the same end, they chose the one with dignity.

One crew member stepped forward. "Let's go with the second, Commander. If death is certain, then we die fighting."

Another voice rose: "Yes, Commander. At least this way, we avenge ourselves. Whoever they are—they'll remember us."

Admiral Ranger nodded in agreement. "And with our sacrifice… maybe our brothers and sisters on the other ships will survive."

William gave them all a silent nod, his expression firm but apologetic. He knew what his presence had cost them.

And now he would ensure it wasn't in vain.