The Greatest Fight [progression cultivation isekai]

X2.4.7: The Wisdom of the Hermit

Several months had passed since the travelers had passed through Iron Town. Roa's movements were beginning to slow down and grow sluggish, his infection now covering all of his neck, chest, arm and beginning to spread down to his leg. His friends finally managed to convince him to stop using his aura, now that they were almost at Elevar's Hermitage. During their travels, the Mountain God continued to send opponents and challenges their way. Some took the form of giant animals, while others were spirits of the mountains who played tricks on the travelers, causing detours and slowing down their ascent. Nonetheless, the Jumpers persevered on, never giving up on eventually finding the Exit out of Vertica.

One day, as the others were sleeping, Roa woke up to the sound of a woman's voice. He sat up with a jolt, looking around in the darkness for anyone. He could not sense anyone's aura, nor see anything moving. The voice became clearer and then he realized that he was receiving a Blurr. Someone had sent him a telepathic message from afar, which read:

"My Sunflower, I hope that you are safe. I don't have much time as I am being watched all the time. The Lord will test you—but you can test him back. Use his ego against him. Get the ones who prop him up to fight against one another, and one day, you might achieve the victory you have sought for, for so long. The first chokepoint was retaken, but don't worry. Keep going up. You will know what to do along the way. Please stay safe…"

Roa stood up. His heart was racing as his mind repeated the message in his head over and over, attempting to not forget it. Who was it from? The voice was too hard to recognize, yet it sounded familiar enough to the boy. The next morning, the Sunflower woke up, wondering if he had dreamed the whole thing, or if he had really received a message from afar.

At long last, the group locked sights with Elevar's Hermitage. It was a giant building, red and white, made of many curved and pointy roofs, covered in snow. The complex straddled the crest of a peak, as if it were part of the very mountain itself.

"Is that—what I think it is?" Indigo pointed above the building, up the mountain, and unto the open sky. "The Peak of Peaks?"

"We almost made it!" shouted Rosso, jumping up and down. He manifested the Compass and pointed it at the last peak, causing the flame to dance wildly.

Indigo did the same, her flame also having the same reaction as her friend's. Roa, on the other hand, sluggishly lifted his arm, pointed it up, but the flame did not change. It was small and weak, and did not change shape or color when pointed at the peak.

"I guess mine stopped working," he said, resigned as the other two looked at each other with concern.

"Let's go meet this great cartographer," said Indigo. "The tournament is only a month away. We don't have time to waste."

Upon entering the temple complex, they were met with total silence. The monks glanced at them but did not react to their presence. Roa pointed down the hall. He could feel a great energy coming from it, pure and powerful, different from the other ones in that place. They entered an inner garden where a solitary monk was meditating among the trees and bushes, as small deer roamed around freely.

"You must be the ones who have been scaling the living mountain," said he without budging or opening an eye, catching the travelers by surprise. "I've felt your presence ever since you exited into this world."

"Are you the one they call Elevar?" asked the boy from Earth.

"Yes. I am the one with the cursed name," said the monk. "I am Elevar of Pardasia."

"We wish to use the Exit at the top of the mountain," said Indigo.

"That will not be possible. The Grand Kami of this world forbids anyone from reaching the top," Elevar explained. "He has kept me prisoner here for centuries."

"We must jump. We cannot delay any longer. The Greatest Fight must go on—the spark of revolution must not die out," the Sunflower said passionately, causing the monk's eyes to open wide.

"The Greatest Fight?"

"Yes—the fight to awaken ourselves, liberate Humanity, and save Nature from destruction. To gather the people together, under one righteous cause, and manifest what is to come," Roa said, lifting his clenched fist in front of his face, his eyes burning with determination as they met the monk's.

"What is to come?" Elevar asked.

"A better world," said the boy. "And the end of the Old Order."

"You must be the one they call the Sunflower," said he, staring deep into his eyes. "I've studied you in the books of the Library of Everything. The last pages stated that you were taken to Default World after the final battle at Black Fortia."

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Roa kneeled down and placed his hand on the monk's shoulder and stared into his eyes.

"We lost everything, and yet, we continue to fight. My mind was erased, my friends died, the battle failed, and the strategy came short. And yet, we still fight," the Sunflower said.

"Why?"

"Because we must. We have no other choice. Doing nothing will make sure that things will only get worst. Nature will collapse beneath our feet, as power will continue to concentrate in the unrighteous hands of an already powerful few. We have one life, one chance, to make a difference—we must not waste it."

Elevar stared at the boy's discolored skin, and said, "you are afflicted by a sickness, Sunflower."

"Yes, I fear that my time will come sooner than I wished it to. I am not afraid to die. I am afraid to not have enough time to have lived this life to the fullest, and do my part for the righteous cause. That's what keeps me up at night."

The monk stood up. "I've spent my long life in the service of Humanity, of knowledge and morality." He nodded at the boy. "I do not believe in my heart there is a way to escape from this world, but, if you are willing to attempt it, I am at your service. Ask of me anything you wish." He bowed.

"We've learned that you are among the most knowledgeable Jumpers in Existence. We need your experience. We must get to Parallel Valley before the month's end," said the boy.

"Parallel Valley—yes, I know that world very well. It is only—four Exits away from here. I can lead you there, but the problem remains the same," the monk said, pointing at the Peak of Peaks.

"We will scale the peak tomorrow. Let me figure out a way to get out of here. In the meantime, I need you to teach us about what you know. I have lost my memories, so I find myself navigating the darkness of ignorance on my journey," Roa said.

"What is it that you wish to know?" Elevar asked.

"How to get to the so-called TipoftheTop of the Palace."

"I do not have such knowledge, unfortunately."

"Then the Ambrosians—where can we find them?"

"You can't. They're all dead. They were all hunted down centuries ago. I have not heard of any surviving the Lord's onslaught."

"Damn it. Do you know of any Exits that can get us past the Second Gate?"

"No. The Lord has shut all ways up the Palace."

"So, the only way up—is through the next Gate," Roa was lost in thought for a moment. "Then through the next Gate we shall go. Who is he?"

"The Gate?"

"Yes. Tell me what you know of the enemy. I must know him before I must defeat him."

Elevar's eyes met Roa's. "The Free in Grand Market call him Lord Hunger. He earned that name because he is at the apex of the poverty industry."

"Poverty industry?" asked Indigo.

"Yes. There is such thing as a poverty industry. You see, while poverty is terrible for those who find themselves in it—it is quite lucrative to the managers of the system. You can even say that their wealth is directly dependent on much of poor people's suffering. The Old Order is an exploitative system. Poverty is an integral aspect of the Old Order. It not only enriches those at the top through the exploitation of those at the bottom, but it also keeps the latter in line through the fear of falling farther down the pyramid."

"I see. So, Lord Smog represented the apex of the Old Order's energy, the black blood that runs through its veins, while Lord Hunger—he's the one in charge of keeping the lowest parts of the unholy caste in place, funneling resources and power up the pyramid."

"Yes, something along those lines."

"Are all the Gates—are they all like this?" asked Roa. "Have they all established their power at the expense of others?"

"Yes. The Gates are the main benefactors of the Old Order. They are its keepers. For the Old Order to fall, the Gates must fall first. Until they are dislodged from power, nothing will change."

"They are the Ring Keepers, are they not?" Rosso added.

"Yes. They are the ones who truly run the capital of Default World and the Halls of Might, thereby holding hostage entire nations and worlds."

"How many Gates are there?" asked Roa.

"Nobody knows. Their locations and identities are kept secret, even among the Halls of Might, and among the Heavenly Nobles. They run things from the darkness, through intermediaries with intermediaries."

"Cowards, hiding behind an army of Shadows and corrupt politicians. And behind them all, hiding even farther, is the Lord of Default World—the ultimate coward," said Roa.

"Lord Perfect," said Elevar.

"Lord--Perfect?" asked the Sunflower as his eyes narrowed.

"Yes. That is the Lord's true name. I was able to learn that wretched name from one of the Heavenly Ones several centuries ago. Lord—Ever--Perfect, Absolute Ruler of Default World, Apex Maximus of the Old Order, Seed of the Great Death, Forger of Chains, Maker of Masks, and Master of Keys. He has been trying to reach the Dreamer for millennia now. Unfortunately, I am afraid that he has finally managed to find the top of the labyrinth."

"He has not made his wish, yet," Roa said. "I am sure of it. He cannot, for some reason. Which means, we still have hope, but we must get to the top of the Palace before he manages to. Help us, Elevar. How do we beat this system?"

The monk sighed and thought of it for several minutes, trying to find the right words to answer the boy.

"The first battle is in the mind—an ideological war must explode in the minds of the many. You see, the Old Order's foundations are not physical, but ideological. The system of control exists because people believe that it cannot be any other way, and because the ideas that rule their minds ensure that it continues running."

"An ideological war…" repeated Roa. "Awaken ourselves."

"Second—the second battle must be one of community."

"Community?" asked Rosso, confused.

"Yes—community. For us to build a better world, a new society must be born, in the small and the mundane of everyday. One that is stronger, more just and more useful than the old one. Only by creating a superior version, will the old one fall apart and be replaced. To create such a society, a community must first espouse, test and grow its new characteristics."

"Community," repeated Roa. "Liberate Humanity."

"Third, with the strength of a powerful ideology, and the resources and unity of a strong community, the template must be replicated, adapted and expanded, so that more version of this community can exist, and most of all, synchronize to work together. With that power, then, the battle must be brought to the heart of the old system," said Elevar.

"To the Halls of Might," said Roa.

"Exactly. We must go where the decisions are being made, and change the system from within its own heart. That is the only way. And with this ideology, community, strength and power, then we will be able to save Nature, and bring Humanity back to its Sacred Balance. We must create the new, to replace the old."