For Daiwa, for the Emperor

"What? Attack the Raging Waves dungeon?"

Itō Hidetaka wondered if his ears had deceived him.

The Emperor was actually going to take the initiative and attack Raging Waves?!

Right now, Above the Dome in the Firmament was flooded with all kinds of information about Raging Waves.

The total number of challengers for Raging Waves had even been raised to an outrageous one million!

When Itō Hidetaka saw the change Above the Dome, his legs went weak.

One million!

Forget breaking the record. Lin Ye had utterly crushed Azure Star's record.

He didn't even dare imagine a dungeon of that level, much less boast about clearing it again.

The fact that the Firmament had adjusted the dungeon's challenger count to such a degree was proof enough of its insane difficulty.

The Emperor stared at him impassively and continued, "Itō, do you not understand what I'm saying?"

"But..." Itō Hidetaka began trembling again, burying his head low.

"Your Majesty, I don't think I have the ability to lead a team to conquer Raging Waves anymore..."

"I don't dare challenge Raging Waves again."

After returning in defeat from Raging Waves twice in a row, Itō Hidetaka had been scared out of his wits.

During the economic war last time in particular, Itō Hidetaka had lost 5,000 points outright and suffered a demotion.

If he recklessly challenged Raging Waves again and had even more points deducted, there was a very good chance he would be erased on the spot!

"Besides... Your Majesty, I'm only an LV1 challenger now. I no longer have permission to bring weapons into a dungeon."

Itō Hidetaka was practically begging, but a trace of disdain appeared on the Emperor's face.

"Itō, you've disappointed me greatly."

"A member of the Great He Clan, so cowardly! So pathetic!"

"And... when did I ever say you would lead the team? You've been defeated in this dungeon twice already. The facts have proven that your abilities aren't enough to conquer it."

The Emperor's words left Itō Hidetaka a little dazed, but when he thought about them carefully, his pupils instantly widened.

"Could it be?!"

Itō Hidetaka looked at the Emperor in disbelief, utterly astonished.

"This time, I'll lead the team into the dungeon myself! And I'll bring one million members of the Great He Clan to challenge it with me, to restore the dignity our clan has lost!"

A fervor that had long been absent appeared in the Emperor's eyes.

Hearing this, Itō Hidetaka felt a jolt run through his very soul.

The Emperor was an LV4 challenger, ranked twentieth on the Firmament's Hero Ranking! He could be counted among the people at the very top of this world!

LV4 challengers could not be designated by designers or selected by the Firmament to enter dungeons.

If Itō Hidetaka remembered correctly, His Majesty hadn't entered a dungeon in over a decade.

He hadn't expected him to take the initiative to challenge Raging Waves this time!

"Your Majesty, you..." Itō Hidetaka still looked shaken.

"Itō, I think you know that Dahe Settlement has been weak for many years and has been overshadowed by Dragon Soaring Settlement for thousands of years." The Emperor walked over to Itō Hidetaka and squeezed his shoulder hard.

"What did we rely on to painstakingly climb back up, step by step, and become a powerful settlement? The Bushido Spirit of the Great He people!"

"We dare challenge the dungeons others don't! We always clear the dungeons others can't, by any means necessary!"

"That is why the Great He Clan cannot be defeated! One failure is acceptable, but we must get right back up!"

As he spoke, the Emperor slowly returned to his seat. Behind him was an enormous world map of Azure Star.

On it, Dahe Settlement was no more than an inconspicuous speck of land.

"Now that the number of challengers for Raging Waves has risen to one million, it's actually a perfect opportunity for Dahe Settlement!" the Emperor continued.

The Emperor had given the matter of attacking Raging Waves careful thought.

He acknowledged that Raging Waves was indeed difficult. The mere fact that the dungeon had only been cleared by 2% showed that there were still who knew how many powerful weapons in it.

But in the Emperor's eyes, the Firmament's adjustment to the challenger count had given him an opportunity!

If Raging Waves had still been limited to ten or twenty thousand people as before, he would have thought their chances slim.

But Raging Waves could now accommodate one million people! If all one million brought weapons from their own dungeons into it, they would be a force beyond measure.

It would not be impossible to conquer Eagle Sauce Country in the dungeon.

"If we can take Raging Waves, we can obtain all the technology in the dungeon! By then, Dahe Settlement will naturally be the number one settlement on Azure Star!"

"Then... I can also apply to the Firmament for more territory for our settlement and bring Great Xia, Three, Gray Bear, and several other settlements entirely into Daiwa's domain!"

The Emperor spoke with such fervor that everyone in the room grew excited as well.

It was the Great He Clan's eternal dream to become the number one settlement under the Firmament on Azure Star, never again having to crowd together on this tiny speck of land.

"This time, I'll lead the team myself, and I'll make sure every one of the million challengers is among Daiwa's finest! They will be my loyal subjects!"

"The Shogun, the Ninja Corps, and the commanders of Daiwa's navy, air force, and army will all enter the dungeon with me!"

"Itō, do you still think there's no hope of conquering the dungeon?"

Itō Hidetaka let out a long breath and looked around him.

Standing in the room were the Shogun Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the ninja leader Iga Ryūji, the Great He people's navy commander-in-chief Yamamoto Sanjūhachi, the army commander-in-chief Yamada Kōji, and the air force commander-in-chief Tominaga!

There were also countless other important figures.

Every one of them was among the Great He Clan's absolute elite, a powerhouse above LV3.

The military resources from the dungeons at their disposal exceeded Itō Hidetaka's by countless times!

"There are two reasons I asked you to join us in attacking the dungeon!"

"First, you've already attacked it twice. That firsthand experience is surely worth more than watching the battle from outside, making you the best choice to be my adviser."

"Second, your defeat has brought shame upon the Great He Clan, and only you can wash away that stain! If we conquer the dungeon, you, Itō Hidetaka, must be there!"

The Emperor's words rang in his ears like thunder, a revelation that poured clarity into his mind!

Itō Hidetaka froze on the spot.

In an instant, his eyes filled with tears again.

Only this time, it was not out of fear, but because he was moved.

As an LV4, the Emperor could have sailed smoothly through the rest of his life.

But now, for the sake of the Great He Clan and his subjects, he was willing to take the greatest risk!

The Emperor was a ray of light in Itō Hidetaka's dark world at this moment!

Even the Emperor was going to attack a dungeon again! How could he, Itō Hidetaka, have the face to shrink back?

Thud!

Itō Hidetaka bowed and knelt once more, shouting:

"For His Majesty the Emperor! I, Itō Hidetaka, would die ten thousand deaths without hesitation!"

"For the Emperor!"

"For the Emperor!"

"For the Emperor!!!"

Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Iga Ryūji, and the others beside them joined in.

Their fervor had reached its peak, and they could hardly wait to lay down their lives for the Emperor!

"Very good!"

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction, then instructed a subordinate beside him:

"Take Itō to the shrine and transfer points from Dahe Settlement's reserves to him. Raise him to Level 2!"

"Also... use the television station to send a message to all of Azure Star. Tell them Dahe Settlement will assemble a group to challenge Raging Waves, and people from the other settlements are not to interfere!"

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