Mount Fuji stood 3,776 meters above sea level.
Even a professional mountaineer would need several hours to conquer it.
For a pampered man past sixty, his body long since ravaged by drink and debauchery, it was nothing short of torture.
The mountain trail was rugged, the snow wet and slippery.
The Japanese Emperor trudged painfully along the trail, his feet sinking unevenly with every step.
The bitter wind sliced across his face like knives, quickly turning his carefully tended complexion a bruised purple.
In the thin air, every breath made his lungs feel as though they would burst, burning with pain.
Before long, the Japanese Emperor was panting hard and drenched in sweat.
His expensive black formal suit was already soaked with sweat and melted snow, clinging wet and cold to his body.
Several times, his feet slipped out from under him, sending him sprawling into the snow.
Every fall made him feel as though all the bones in his body were about to come apart.
But the Japanese Emperor dared not stop.
Again and again, he could only brace his trembling hands against the ground, struggle up from the freezing snow, and continue climbing.
Because he knew that young man from the Dragon Kingdom was waiting for him at the summit.
He also knew that billions of eyes around the world were watching him through the drones' cameras.
Watching his wretched state, like a dog driven from its home.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
The Japanese Emperor gasped for breath, his legs feeling as heavy as lead with every step.
His vision began to darken in waves, and his consciousness slowly blurred.
Countless hallucinations began surfacing in his mind.
He seemed to see his grandfather, the butcher who had launched invasions and brought devastating suffering to countless countries, standing nearby and