Caesar burst out laughing,
"You really do think quite far ahead..."
"I genuinely wonder where this guy pulls so many treasures from. It's more outrageous than a bottomless bag."
"To be able to just pull out new tricks from his pants without anyone expecting it is truly unreasonable..."
"All I can say is, thank goodness we didn't choose to stand on Lin Ran's opposing side."
"Otherwise, with his absurd hidden abilities, he'd definitely scare people sleepless."
Arthur nodded in agreement,
"Indeed..."
"I don't know about the others right now, but if Petrey is put through this by Lin Ran, he's probably going to have insomnia tonight."
Caesar seemed quite pleased,
"That's karma!"
"Petrey has been arrogant for so long, it's about time someone taught him a lesson."
"I have to admit, Petrey's ability is truly disgusting."
"Even when his direct strength is inferior and he can't win, he can still drag things out for a long time."
"The most infuriating thing is, he actually knows he can't win, but he just likes to stall... It makes people so utterly powerless."
Once Caesar started this tirade against Petrey, the other captains nearby joined in with a shared sense of indignation.
The first to speak was Isaac of the Doomsday Bell from the Byzantine Empire.
"Yeah, yeah, this guy is a real pain in the neck..."
"Last time, I fought him for an incredibly long time. When defeat was already certain, Petrey still refused to surrender, insisting that I dismantle his entire tortoise formation bit by bit."
"And that's not even counting the transparent shell on him..."
"If he had decided to be even more stubborn and continued to endure behind his shield of light, the battle line would probably have been extended by another two hours."
"After all, I could barely break through his shield of light. To harm him inside, I would have had to slowly chip away at his magic power until it was depleted."
"Fortunately, that match wasn't a formal competition, just a training session."
"Otherwise, given Petrey's momentum, he would have dragged me down!"
Nearby, Anfiya of the Ancient Roar from the White Bear Kingdom also wore a pained expression,
"Isn't that the truth... you've hit the nail on the head..."
"This guy's favorite thing is precisely to drag things out."
"If it were just the stalling, it would be manageable, but the most unacceptable thing is that he's also a chatterbox."
"While stalling, he'd ramble on saying things like 'Heh... stall, just keep stalling!' and 'I know I'll lose, but I'll just drag it out for them!'"
"He'd also let out yelps when hit, even if you only struck his protective barrier and not his body."
"It truly exhausted me to the point of spitting blood, while simultaneously torturing my nerves."
"The most unsportsmanlike thing is that this guy always jumps off the stage with a cheeky surrender when his magic is about to run out or his barrier is about to be broken, and you can't continue attacking."
"Damn it! If I ever get the chance, I'm going to smash that stinky face of his!"
The others also looked indignant,
"That's right, that's right, this Petrey is simply a top-tier nuisance in competitions, especially in training matches!"
"No matter how you fight, win or lose, it's always him having his way and us suffering, it's disgustingly unbearable."
"But even so, this unlucky fellow always manages to find sparring partners..."
"Of course, he's practically the strongest punching bag in our series of matches. We always use him to test things out..."
"Who would want to deal with this tortoise shell if not to test their attacking capabilities!"
"..."
Amidst this chattering discussion, it was clear that these people were unhappy with Petrey.
Catherine, however, suddenly interjected,
"So, do you think he can annoy Lin Ran?"
"Given Petrey's personality, if he's so torturous in training matches, he'll definitely not give up easily in an official competition..."
"Although Lin Ran has shown his formidable attacking power time and again, I wonder if it will be as effective against Petrey."
This question momentarily stumped the captains.
They looked at each other, their expressions a little hesitant, and finally, Dinu of the Azure Shackles from the Rhine Federation spoke up,
"I feel like even Lin Ran will be tormented for a while..."
"That's Petrey!"
"In terms of tortoise tactics, he's second to none in his ability to annoy."
"Even a top player like Lin Ran will likely be disgusted by him for a period."
Doru of the Fatal Golden Boot from the Panama Federation shook his head,
"I think with Lin Ran's attack intensity, there's a good chance he can break through Petrey's defense with sheer explosive power."
"He has too many ways to suddenly increase his tempo and erupt, which Petrey definitely won't be able to guard against."
"After all, transferring magic power takes time. A Petrey with a will to survive can't always allocate his most abundant magic and energy solely to his protective shield; he'll have to divert some for offense."
"If Lin Ran doesn't initially show strong aggression towards his main body, Petrey is bound to let his guard down."
"Then, when Lin Ran unleashes his myriad of explosive techniques, he might just smash a hole in Petrey's tortoise shell..."
"Unless this old tortoise Petrey decides to play defensively from the start, stubbornly clinging to his shell and refusing to budge."
"In that case, even an immortal would be thoroughly tormented..."
Doru's words were met with widespread agreement,
"Indeed, Lin Ran's burst of power is too fast and too bizarre. For Petrey, who is accustomed to a slow and steady playstyle, he might actually be hit with a decisive blow!"
"Boiling a frog in warm water has always been a terrifying killing move. Petrey probably doesn't have the brainpower to withstand it."
"And even if it's not a one-hit kill, he can at least establish a huge advantage with those divinely inspired attacks..."
"If the momentum is maintained, there's still a chance to break Petrey down in a short period."
Of course, there were also those who agreed with Dinu's opinion.
"I still feel like he'll be severely tormented!"
"This old tortoise Petrey, if nothing else, has a strong sense of crisis."
"I feel that no matter how fast Lin Ran's killing moves are, there will still be a slight window for reaction."
"Yes, and this guy watched Lin Ran's match before. He knows Lin Ran's attacks are strong and his bursts are fierce, so he probably won't be too careless."
Seeing the group divided, Caesar suddenly stretched,
"Actually, you know, you all say, is there a third possibility?"