Eleanor was stunned to see her doppelgänger applying her Universal Comprehension to energy itself. The fight... if it could still be called that... devolved into a ruthless, one-sided dismantling. Every skill she possessed was used against her with a mastery she had never imagined. Her Electroreception failed entirely; the duplicate had no bio-electric field to read, only an unwavering, razor-sharp intent. Her Bloodlust Instinct scread at her to retreat, yet her own ntal Lock, once a tool for focus had now beco a snare, forcing her to stare into the eyes of a version of herself who was simply better.
She tried Static Flash to blind it. The doppelgänger’s Clarity Veil didn’t rely neutralise the burst... it seed to swallow the light, its vision sharpening as if nourished by it.
In the end, bruised, exhausted, and bleeding from a dozen precisely asured, non-lethal strikes, Eleanor found herself sprawled on the cold floor, staring up at the dod ceiling. The doppelgänger stood above her without triumph, without malice... only with a calm, instructive stillness. It had never once drawn upon the all-or-nothing Soul-Stealing Phantom. There had been no need. It had defeated her using only the fundantals, executed with such flawless precision that her own training suddenly felt crude by comparison.
Panting, vision wavering, Eleanor sensed the edge of unconsciousness creeping in. For the first ti, she truly understood what others must have felt when facing her. This trial had created a doppelgänger who wielded her abilities at their absolute peak.
"Outsmarted and outperford by my own doppelgänger..." was her last coherent thought before darkness overtook her.
In the next mont, Eleanor found herself inside the space capsule. She blinked several tis, her eyes adjusting to the sterile light. She had returned to reality... back from the Tower of Legends.
The lid opened with a soft hiss, and she looked around. After those mind-splintering trials, the sight of the ordinary world was almost a relief. As she stepped out, the device on her wrist vibrated. Instinctively, she tapped it, and a holographic screen flickered to life before her.
[Notice]
Congratulations to Cadet Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659) for clearing level 25 of the Tower of Legends. You have been awarded 100 points.
Points added to inventory: 100
[Would you like to see the next ssage? Y/N]
The reward was the sa as last ti. Without hesitation, Eleanor replied, "Yes." Another screen appeared.
[Notice]
Congratulations to Cadet Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659) for clearing level 50 of the Tower of Legends. You have been awarded 1000 points.
Points added to inventory: 1000
[Would you like to see the next ssage? Y/N]
She accepted, and the next screen materialised.
[Notice]
Congratulations to Cadet Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659) for clearing level 75 of the Tower of Legends. You have been awarded 10000 points.
Points added to inventory: 10000
[Would you like to close the window? Y/N]
She closed the window without hesitation and surveyed the room. Two other capsules were occupied, two cadets still undergoing their trials. Not wishing to disturb anyone, she slowly opened the door and stepped out.
A wave of weakness made her sway slightly, her body light and unsteady. She dragged herself towards the lobby, where the receptionist greeted her with a warm smile. Eleanor managed a small nod in return, attempting to smile back, though her face felt strangely rigid.
Unsure what to say, she glanced around and spotted Instructor Arrichion sitting in a chair, eyes closed. She walked over and murmured, "Instructor, I’m out."
Arrichion opened his eyes and smiled. "Good. How do you feel?"
"Weak," Eleanor replied.
Arrichion glanced at the display still showing her ranking at level 84. "Looks like you failed to clear level 85. What was in that level?"
Eleanor gave a bitter smile. "."
This ti, Arrichion’s smile widened. "As expected. Facing your own doppelgänger is always brutal. I thought that level would appear in the nineties for you, though. Your proficiency with your skills isn’t perfected yet. To defeat a doppelgänger, you have to beco the best version of yourself... and then outsmart it."
Seeing Eleanor’s crestfallen expression, he quickly added, "Don’t worry. You’ve done exceptionally well. After level seventy-five, every stage offers sothing valuable to learn. I’ll copy the record of your fight with the doppelgänger and send it to you later. You’ll be able to improve your combat skills from it."
He flicked his wrist, producing a food pill in his hand. "Take this. Go to your room and rest. You need to be fully recovered before heading to Vanaheim. I’ll be staying at the academy. If you need anything, co to anyti."
Eleanor thanked her instructor and made her way back to her room. After taking the food pill and a sip of water, she had no strength left even to change her clothes. She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost at once.
***
In the Kingdom, the national election campaign was drawing to a close. The Pri Ministerial candidate, Baron Anthony Hayward Chapman, delivered his final formal speech at the Birmingham Science Museum... an aspirational space anchored in the legacy of the Industrial Revolution.
Birmingham had been chosen by the campaign team because it lay at the geographical and demographic heart of England, balanced neatly between North and South. It was a strategic choice that satisfied every narrative and political requirent: the perfect symbol of Chapman’s role as a unifier and bridge-builder. It targeted the most crucial swing region, while visually reinforcing the core ssage of a skilled, innovative, future-focused Kingdom.
His closing speech beca an instant hit when he declared, "Here in Birmingham, the city that built the world, they told you your ti was past. They were wrong. Just as they are wrong today when they say the Kingdom’s best days are behind her. We stand surrounded by the genius of our past, not to live in it, but to be inspired by it... to build a future that is just as bold! From the workshops of this great city to the tech hubs of Digbeth, we will put the talent of the Kingdom first. We will put our Kingdom First!"
He promised that the National Health Service would receive the most urgent intervention. No citizen, he vowed, would wait longer than eighteen weeks for specialist treatnt... a direct strike at the swollen waiting lists that had co to symbolise national decline. This would be paired with the "Family Doctor Guarantee," a pledge that every person would secure a GP appointnt within forty-eight hours, restoring the NHS’s front door to a point of access rather than frustration.
On the cost of living, his commitnts were equally precise. He vowed to pass an Ergency Energy Security Bill within six months, establishing a permanent "Energy Price Shield" for the most vulnerable. Its funding chanism was a matter of principle: a one-off windfall tax on the excess profits of energy companies. It was financial relief frad as an act of fairness.
For community safety, the pledge was visible and straightforward. Recruitnt of 20,000 new police officers would begin imdiately, with the first 5,000 on the streets within the first year... a direct response to the erosion of neighbourhood policing.
For the economy’s capillaries, he promised a "High Street Rescue Fund" for small businesses, launching from day one, offering rate relief and grants to stem the tide of closures and revive local entrepreneurship.
Beyond the imdiate fixes, he laid out his long-term commitnts for his premiership. The centrepiece was the National Infrastructure Corps. He pledged that before the end of his first term, the new body would be fully operational, employing 100,000 people and beginning work on two monuntal projects: a new rail network and a nuclear power station. It was a promise to rebuild the very skeleton of the Kingdom.
His "Skills Revolution" ca with clear numbers. By the end of the Parliant, he vowed to open 50 new Advanced Technical Academies, training 500,000 people for future industries in green energy, digital sectors, and advanced manufacturing. This was a pledge to re-engineer the nation’s human capital.
On energy, the goal was transformation at scale. His "Green Industrial Strategy" laid out a national mission: within five years, 100% of the Kingdom’s electricity would co from clean, secure, ho-grown sources, setting the nation on a path to beco a net energy exporter by 2035. It was a promise of strategic independence.
And lastly, he made a solemn commitnt to the health of democracy itself. He would establish a permanent, independent Integrity and Ethics Commission and convene a constitutional convention to reform the House of Lords, creating a smaller, democratically accountable chamber. This was a pledge to restore trust in the system.
His speech was broadcast live across the nation. Alongside the party’s website, nearly every major television and radio network carried it. In the aftermath, his na shot to the top of Google’s trends and dominated social dia. New hashtags erged for each of his sector-specific promises. Reporters imdiately sought expert comntary, asking whether such pledges were truly feasible for a pri minister and his party.
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