There was a stage at the front which the lead contingent arrived on. The curtains opened up and revealed the magnificent Spectralia. She was flanked on both sides by other important characters. Odysseus had already informed every one of the structure the army would work under through a different avatar long before the leaders had arrived. Now everyone was just waiting to hear the structure of the team they were moving with.
The concept of the three tiers wasn't anything new and was often the go to when multiple organisations with different specialties teamed up. The only exception was that the composition would change based on the wants of the leader. In this case, for reasons unknown to the others, Peerless had handed over control to Spectralia on the condition that they follow the route he had suggested and complete the challenge in 3 days. It wasn't extremely rare for temporary alliances to form, but many were still caught off guard because they had assumed that Spectralia had a grudge with Peerless.
Peerless' absence on the stage also led many to question what on earth was happening, but Odysseus had only stated that Peerless wanted to move by himself and that he had left the group after the meeting of leaders was over. Many had assumed that Peerless was perhaps afraid of the grudge bearing Spectralia.
'Grudges are useless in front of benefits.'
Mercedes smirked as she scanned the infatuated gazes aimed at her figure. She fed off the adoration of the masses and it bolstered her pride. It was not an exaggeration to say that she was an addict to attention. Just like her deity, she was the epitome of beauty and carefully used her beauty to her advantage.
Aphrodite had approached Mercedes with a request in return for the Deity's favour during the match with Peerless. She was asked to get on his good side and see if she can seduce him. She reluctantly agreed as refusal was not an option. But her mood became better after hearing that she had been given control by Peerless. Although this had been due to Ulysses' work, she was also under the belief that Peerless was also attracted to her, after all, what man was not?
She didn't believe he was head over heels, but he should have a soft spot for her that she could exploit with time. As the leader of the expedition, she would not only regain face by holding power over others but she could use her authority to get close to Peerless and his people. Killing two birds with one stone.
'Once I accomplish Aphrodite's mission, I will crush him.'
It was with such thoughts that she announced the composition of the army.
The warriors were led by Gianluigi, the mages by Natasha and logistics would be taken care of by Odysseus and his men. The other generals helped where they fit in. Ulysses and Solitary were meant to move with Mercedes. Achilles fell under Gianluigi while Lyra was placed under Natasha. Narcissus' avatar was introduced as Solitary's Bodyguard and thus the composition of the group was set.
The captains and generals were announced one by one. Each time they were announced, they were asked to come on stage so that they could be seen. When it came time for the Tsimikas group to be announced, silence overcame the crowd. Achilles, Narcissus and Lyra calmly walked up onto the stage and took their spots in the middle where the focus of the crowd was.
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They were scanned many times by the observers but nothing special about them caught attention. They seemed like ordinary followers a powerhouse ought to have. Since Peerless had only brought four helpers many assumed that they would be earth shattering prodigies that could change the atmosphere of a room. But their unassuming appearances left a lot to be desired. Some even started to question if Peerless was taking this seriously at all.
The crowd was made up of mortal elites that were part of the Truthseeking competition. They conformed to high standards that ordinary Middle worlds couldn't even keep up with. Most of the locals there were from Cities, with only the Tsimikas contingent daring to bring locals from a Town.
"And now for the last member of the Town of Tsimikas, Solitary Sword Sovereign."
The rest of the leaders and the smarter ones in the crowd paid attention the moment these words were spoken. Solitary Sword Sovereign was not a title that could be used by anyone. For the leaders, what was even more important was that this was a local that Peerless believed to be an equal in terms of prowess. They were quite curious to see what he looked like.
Will's figure appeared as he leisurely walked to the staircase beneath the stage. He had been the last ordinary mortal to enter just before the leaders and had quietly stood by himself. After masquerading as a mage with the leaders he separated from them and quickly reverted back to his original appearance.
He did not worry about his physique resembling his own as that was not enough to equate the two. The frozen Asgard layer of skin allowed him to change the shape of his form somewhat so he would not attract attention when he reverted back to his original form.
His dark brown skin, silvery white hair and blue pupils held the attention of the observers for only a moment as he slowly walked up the steps. Aside from ordinary Daoist robes, his glove and the katana, he had no items on him. Most warriors carried armour, weapons and items to boost their close combat abilities. It was quite rare to see such an unarmed warrior. It was clear that Will was confident in his ability to either dodge or block attacks.
'He has a glove just like Peerless!'
The glove on his left hand became the centre of discussion because it had revealed a superb array during the competition. An array that turned a simple Hydrolytic Fission bullet into a weapon capable of wounding Ulysses Rijkaard. Most assumed the glove was a peak level item that Peerless had most likely borrowed to his subordinate. Or perhaps Tsimikas had more than one. Either way, just this glove made others take him more seriously.
The other leaders wearily eyed Will and were surprised at how normal he appeared. He was handsome but there was nothing earth shattering about his charm. He had an idiotic lustful expression as his eyes roved up and down the bodies of all the maidens on stage. He didn't even care who was watching as he carefully ogled to his satisfaction.
The maidens from Frozen Asgard were furious at this blatant display of disrespect while the Veritas narrowed their eyes in amusement. The Frozen Asgard Maidens were infamous for their curves and explosive figures. Their armour also left little to the imagination and showed quite a bit of skin. Some had large breasts while others had wide hips with thick full thighs. They all had beautiful faces without a flaw and came in different sizes.
They were the target of much objectification and thoroughly despised it, but every once in a while, they would run into a group that did not fear retribution and ogled them to their hearts content such as the Veritas. Now, Solitary Sword Sovereign had been added to the list.
After feasting his eyes and nodding in approval, Will turned and waved at the crowd like a tourist at an amusement park. His childish behaviour caused a few to frown. This was quite far from the image of the solemn and serious Peerless Dao Master that they were familiar with. The fact that he was that man's trusted subordinate stunned the crowd.
'Maybe his only value lies in his strength?'
'If that's true then how strong does one have to be if one is that stupid?'
'Maybe he is intentionally playing the fool.'
'I don't think anyone can act that well when faced with such important characters.'
Mercedes frowned at Will's blatant ogling of the ladies. Not only had he ogled the Frozen Asgard maidens, he had also checked out all the other women with explosive figures. His line of sight never even went above the nape of the neck. It was clear what kind of man he was.