"Now I can tell you why I said this was a battle we were certain to win. Under the wise and mighty leadership of His Excellency the Daimyo, the Five Great Nations no longer regard one another as enemies. We have formed an official alliance!"
"Each nation has dispatched nearly a hundred thousand elite soldiers, for a total army of five hundred thousand, ready to wipe out every Ninja who dares defy the Daimyo in one fell swoop!"
"Soldiers, rejoice! This is a war in which we are destined to crush our opponents! Every one of you who takes part will receive great honors. The Daimyo has even promised to grant the title of Samurai to those who distinguish themselves!"
At those words, the soldiers froze for a moment, then erupted into excited roars.
The alliance of the Five Great Nations was sending its forces! An army of five hundred thousand! Rewards for everyone if they won! They might even rise to glory overnight and become noble Samurai...
There was certainly some exaggeration involved, of course. Who knew how many of these hundred thousand "elite soldiers" had been young men tending their fields at home just a short while ago...
But each grand promise sent the soldiers into a frenzy, roaring like hungry wolves clamoring to be fed.
The same thing was happening not just aboard this ship, but on the decks of the surrounding ships as well. Their cries pierced the heavens, as though even the waves had been stirred into rolling swells.
"Huh?"
The soldier tasked with watching the surrounding waters had been shouting too, but he soon noticed something wrong with the waves—
Each swell rose higher than the last, as though something was about to emerge from the seabed.
The sharp-eyed soldier hurried over to report