"General... we... we've already lost..."
The most senior adjutant summoned all his courage, dropped to his knees before Yamamoto, and burst into tears.
"Please order a retreat! Preserve the empire's last spark of hope!"
Yamamoto slowly turned around.
His white naval uniform had been blackened by smoke, and his face was twisted with madness and savagery.
He did not say a word.
He merely drew his Nambu Type 14 Pistol from his waist.
Then he aimed it at the adjutant kneeling on the floor.
"Bang!"
The gunshot rang especially harshly in the cramped bridge.
The adjutant's body jerked. He stared at the blood blooming across his chest in disbelief, then collapsed heavily to the ground.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Yamamoto blew away the powder smoke from the muzzle, swept his gaze across every officer present, and spoke in a hoarse, low voice.
"Defeat?"
"The Great Neon Empire Navy knows no defeat!"
He kicked the corpse at his feet aside and charged madly to the helm. Shoving away the helmsman, who had been frozen stiff with terror, he seized the wheel himself.
"Full speed ahead!"
"Target! The enemy flagship!"
He snatched up the communicator and, with every ounce of strength he possessed, issued the final—and most insane—order to the entire ship.
"Everyone still able to fight! Assemble on deck!"
"Prepare for boarding action! Prepare for close-quarters combat!"
"Use our Samurai Swords to seize their warship! Give your lives for the Emperor!"
"Tennō Heika! Banzai!"
Amid his hysterical roar, several officers with flickering eyes quietly exchanged glances.
While no one was paying attention, they hunched over and slipped out of the bridge.
Their objective was clear.
Go to the stern deck and find any lifeboat that could still be used.
They did not want to follow this