A Sword to Cut the Raging Waves! The Third Dungeon Assault!

Lin Ye felt somewhat helpless.

Before he could even choose them himself, they had come knocking at his door.

It would have been one thing for the Dahe Settlement to mount a group dungeon assault once, but they had actually pulled the same trick again.

This time, even the Emperor, a top-tier LV4 fighter, was getting involved.

Clearly, these people were all coming for him!

It wasn't that he, Lin Ye, was targeting these Shorties. They were the ones who kept targeting him, always looking to rake in riches from his dungeon.

Still, that was fine by him!

Some strands of historical destiny were bound to converge sooner or later. There was no avoiding it.

The Shorties really had prepared thoroughly this time.

With two powerful LV4 fighters in a single dungeon run, and even the weakest at Level 2, their lineup was unquestionably among the best of Azure Star's ordinary challenger factions.

It would be hard for any other settlement to command such fanatical loyalty.

Lin Ye also wanted to see just how capable an LV4 in this world really was. Until now, the strongest challenger he had seen was only the LV3 Indian Prince, Singh.

And Singh was a fraud whose level had been bought with points, at that.

He was even more eager to know how much of a storm his Raging Waves could stir up.

These Shorties couldn't have been better suited to serve as whetstones for his dungeon.

"Sigh..." Lin Ye shook his head helplessly.

"Don't go saying afterward that I, Lin Ye, was targeting you..."

"You're dead set on courting death, so I can only oblige."

Lin Ye loosened up his muscles and went straight into his dungeon's livestream.

This time, he intended to watch the entire run.

He was eager to see the looks on the faces of the Dahe Settlement's people when they faced the Five Permanent Members!

In the courtyard outside the Emperor's residence in the Dahe Settlement.

Before a solemn Karesansui garden.

The Emperor wore battle robes and held a long Samurai sword, his eyes blazing like torches.

Before him stood the Shogun, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the commanders of the various military branches, and the great figures of the Great He Clan, side by side.

A gentle breeze swept past, and wind chimes slowly began to ring.

Their notes echoed through the torrent of time like sounds from an ancient age. Between the dead wood and the sand and stones, boundless killing intent seemed to lurk!

The Firmament had just announced that they were about to enter the Raging Waves dungeon! The countdown had begun.

They were all waiting quietly to enter the dungeon together shortly...

Whoosh!

A blade sang.

The Emperor's Samurai sword was already out of its sheath.

The green bamboo before him was sliced clean through at the middle!

"Gentlemen, do you still remember the Great He Clan's Creed?"

His voice was particularly calm.

"Dahe people should ceaselessly question death and live while holding death aloft!"

"This dungeon assault concerns the rise of our Dahe Settlement, and, more importantly, the dignity of our hundred million Dahe people!"

"I hope you will join me in cutting down the raging waves!"

The Emperor's declaration fired up all his subordinates.

"For the Emperor!"

"For the Emperor!"

[...3...]

[...2...]

[...1...]

[Welcome to the Purgatory-level dungeon: Earth Online: Five Permanent Members' Raging Waves!]

[Dungeon loaded...]

[Deploying challengers to the Virtual Battlefield. Number deployed: 1000000/1000000...]

[The dungeon has opened!]

As the crowd made their vows, the Firmament's notification sounded.

Space and time twisted in an instant.

The Emperor and his one million retainers stepped into Earth Online like a calamity descending upon the world.

When the Emperor slowly opened his eyes, he discovered that he was inside an immensely vast palace.

The palace's exterior was extraordinarily magnificent. Its green tiled roof resembled a vivid green lotus leaf, shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

Exquisite patterns were carved into its white walls, every stroke remarkably delicate. Tea-brown bronze pillars stood to the side, stately and imposing.

The palace interior was even more resplendent, its opulent decorations dazzling to the eye.

Beneath the thick stone walls outside the hall, ancient pines stood in rows, and cherry blossoms were in glorious bloom.

Their pink petals swayed gently in the breeze!

Amid this dreamlike scene, a group of beautiful women in kimonos approached with light steps. Each had a lovely face and exquisite makeup.

Carrying fine tea and tempting fruit and pastries, they gently offered them to the Emperor, every movement elegant and graceful.

Only Itō Hidetaka was beside him, kneeling before him.

The other challengers were nowhere to be seen.

"What is this?"

The sight genuinely surprised the Emperor. It was completely different in style from the Raging Waves he had seen in the livestream.

"Itō, where are we?"

Itō Hidetaka looked just as bewildered and began to mutter haltingly.

"Your Majesty... this is very strange. It's completely different from the previous two times I entered the dungeon."

"Both times, I spawned at the Eastern Ocean Island Hiroshima Wu Hai Arsenal... I don't know why we've appeared here now."

While the two were puzzled, the Firmament's notification sounded.

[Esteemed LV4 challenger Mr. Xiaochuan, owing to your level and status, you have been automatically appointed commander-in-chief for this million-person Raging Waves dungeon run!]

[You are currently in the Pavilion of Pines, the main hall of the imperial palace in Edo, capital of Eastern Ocean Island. This is the residence of Eastern Ocean Island's supreme commander and the dungeon's highest command center!]

[...]

"Why has the dungeon changed?"

"And where are all my clansmen?"

The Emperor directed his questions at the Firmament.

His brows were tightly furrowed, and he was growing somewhat angry.

This so-called imperial palace was indeed luxurious, and being here was naturally far better than being at that chilly naval base.

But he had come to assault the dungeon, not to experience life here.

This was supposed to be a million-person dungeon run, yet only he and Itō Hidetaka had entered, and the dungeon weapons they had brought with them were nowhere to be found.

How were they supposed to attack the dungeon like this?!

[Firmament notification: Due to the substantial increase in dungeon capacity, the designer, Mr. Lin Ye, made minor adjustments to the dungeon's content and missions earlier.]

[The Hiroshima Wu Hai Arsenal cannot accommodate a million challengers or provide anchorage for a massive fleet. Therefore, all challengers have been randomly assigned to twenty military bases across Eastern Ocean Island.] [As the dungeon's supreme commander, you may issue orders directly from the Pavilion of Pines to the challengers at each military base!]

As the Firmament issued its notification, an enormous screen of light unfolded before the Emperor and Itō Hidetaka...

It displayed the outline of Eastern Ocean Island, marked with one bright point after another.

The Hiroshima Wu Hai Arsenal.

Maizuru Naval Base.

Ōminato Naval Base.

The Edo No. 1 Army Arsenal.

The Nagoya Army Factory.

Kadena Air Base.

The Firmament had marked out each military base.