@Pluton9
I didn't say the statement was false, but that it is simply talking about the lower members. If you have one which directly says the executives are more skilled, not just "skilled" or "really skilled" but specifically more skilled than the Loki trio, I won't argue further in that matter.
Ottar didn't say it was his memory of the era, but the experience of living through it, as fighting other people was the norm. Basically FF's method but city-wide.
"Our generation had Zeus and Hera, monsters that acted as if our counterattacks were nothing... During that time, the young people in Orario had no choice but to steep themselves in battle against other people."
I was just expressing my opinion about the death ones. I still stand by it, but it doesn't even have to do with the main topic, so I'll leave it at that.
Only the Loki executives went against any Freya members, and it was specifically the executives. Unless you have evidence that Loki's lower members went after Freya's lower members you are making baseless assumptions. Gareth also notes how them doing so was just them going on their own. Loki and Finn themselves did nothing, they restrained themselves. As the familia's two highest authorities, they could very well have kept in check the lower members.
Bell could already tell Phryne was a first class adventurer. Sure, his ability was green, but he literally saw he could already tell when someone was a first tier. Alfia's magic and equipment reduced the potency of her magic, not her stats, which is what the sensing ability measures. And while the rest did dismiss them as nothing Alfrigg actually was wary of them, yet he didn't realize their level until after seeing them in action.
While being comparable to a Level 1 is impressive, it's not like it acts as a boost for stats. If it was then Hedin, Hogni and Gareth should be Orario's top right after Ottar, yet the one single statement Oomori has made puts Finn as top two.
I know Asterius is a fighter, but his grace is having mediocre technique. Yet his Level 7 tier abilities were all it took for him to be overwhelmingly better than Bete, Tiona and Tione. So a Level 7 Riveria losing to a Level 6 Hedin doesn't actually make sense.
It was Finn lowering Loki's fumes, but by telling her what was to come, not how things were at that moment.
If you are going to insist on not dismissing statements clearly meant to give an insight into the power scale fine, that is the right thing to do, but I ask you to do the same. Ottar didn't use Hildis Vini as mere bait (he did use it as such, but only after he decided to use it), nor was it a show off for us readers (like with Udaeus), it is directly stated he had his hand forced to use it.
If Ottar was using his magic, that meant it was an opponent who couldn’t be brought down by just his monstrous strength and his absolute defense.
So just having made Warlord use his magic was honor enough.
Bell could be proud. He had made Ottar use his magic twice.
And I was talking about when it was Bell, Ryuu and Mia alone, before Hedin joined. I directly mentioned them, just as Ottar's use of Hildis Vini is before Hedin's arrival. I also only considered Bell a Level 6 in the comparison to point out that even the theorical highest of his group is still worse than the Loki trio comparatively. If you want to consider he was a Level 5 fine (I do so too), but that actually reinforces my point. If a Level 7 Ottar can be stalemated by two Level 6s and a Level 5 then that gives more reasons to believe a pseudo Level 8 Ottar is inferior to three Level 7s.
About Ryuu's and Bell's teamwork, they still only have four days of doing it while the Loki trio has years. So there is absolutely no point of comparison.
Ottar using it against them three was also him brute-forcing it, not something he is really used to doing. Trying to do it against that same group but while heavily injured and with another opponent thrown into the mix would obviously make it way difficult. His lack of attempts was simply him not being able to pull it off. Zald also went on to chant his own magic, so he gave a window for Ottar to chant his, something that he didn't get in the War Game.
3) A teamwork that is two levels below his. Just like you said it is not fair to compare the current Loki trio with the Freya executives, it is not fair to compare teamworks of two groups with a wide power gap. The sheer power gap obviously makes the Gullivers more manageable.
I mentioned the time limit because, even if he can go for hours, the problem is that he has one nonetheless, while his enemies wouldn't, meaning one of many ways for them to possibly win woul be to simply outlast him.
4) With how just ranking up alone makes one better than those of lower levels regardless of stats, I really don't see why being at the lower or higher end of one's level matter. Gareth is a strength and endurance specialist, so it isn't really bad that Finn can't match him even with Hell Finegas. Tiona with her skills got so fast at one point Bache couldn't even see her. Do you think she actually reached Level 7 tier speed?