by Akeya 5th December 2015, 8:19 pm
As has been mentioned before, Hybrid Slayers already have some really strong advantages that Third Gen Slayers don't have.
You can rapidly recover mana from two sources instead of one. Even if you happen to have two sources that you can't easily access, that's still more than if you're a Mono-Slayer (single element Slayer).
You're very effective against two elements instead of one. Mono-Slayers can only boast a heavy advantage towards one type of element. As a Hybrid you can give two entirely different elemental mages the finger even if the two elements can't be complete opposites.
You're just a lot more versatile because you can use the advantages of two different elements. You can have the speed and offensive power of a Lightning Slayer while also slowing down enemies and blocking attacks with the powers of an Ice Slayer (I'm assuming the opposite of Lightning is Earth, not Ice).
No Mono-Slayer, whether they're First, Second, or Third generation, can use these advantages. They can only gain energy from one source, they are only that effective against a single element, and while creativity can do a lot it's unlikely that as a Fire Slayer you can develop the ability to poison people. Actually I'm pretty sure that even if you could think up an explanation for why a Fire Slayer could use effects similar to poison it'd be denied on the general principle that being the Slayer of a certain element means you have to suffer the advantages and disadvantages of that element.
And these advantages for Hybrids aren't advantages you can just wave away or try to make them sound insignificant. Being able to eat both Fire and Shadow means that suddenly you could shoot fireballs and when you're out of mana just step into a shadow and begin gulping it down, or the other way around if you're feeling hungry just use mundane means to get a campfire going and then eat bits and pieces of that campfire. Eating the attacks of both air mages and water mages means there's now two very common elements the enemy can't properly use against you. Being able to be as tough and enduring as an Earth Slayer while still shooting enemies to pieces with the lazers of a Light Slayer is going to make you a lot more difficult to deal with than a Slayer who has to choose between those two advantages.
Being a Third Gen Slayer is basically giving up on these advantages. Even though you went through the trouble of getting the position of a certain Slayer AND got yourself a Slayer Lachrima you still can only devour one element, you're still only extra effective against a single type of element, and you still only have the advantages of that element and can't use another element to cover the weaknesses.
Honestly becoming a Third Gen Slayer would actually be a pretty big loss in potential power if the Third Gen wasn't given some extra stuff. I don't exactly find the argument 'you can use all your spell slots for a single element instead of having to divide it between two' a very solid argument. I mean, it's not like you're that starved for spell slots after you've clawed your way out of D-Rank. Honestly if you make each and every spell you have worthwhile I'm pretty sure a lot of people would realize that they actually have a difficult time filling their entire repertoire with good quality spells. I've heard plenty of people comment about how they're having difficulty thinking of what their last B-Rank Spell should be or that they thought they were done with their magic app only to realize they still have an extra S-Rank left with no inspiration.
So the Third Gen Slayers need some love purely because if they didn't then nobody would ever bother becoming one. They'd just always become a Hybrid Slayer instead. While some people might be willing to sacrifice the existence of Third Gen Slayers so Hybrid Slayers can activate Force at will I, quite honestly and bluntly, would accuse those people of being a bit too greedy and selfish.
Hybrid and Third Gen Slayers take about as much difficulty to become. It would be strange if one of them felt distinctly weaker than the other.
And from a lore point of view, being a First Gen Slayer means you have gained extensive knowledge about the element and how to utilize it. Being a Second Gen Slayer means you've incorporated that element in your body. First Gen Slayers are better at using their magic even though it took a lot longer for them to get a good grip on it, while Second Gen Slayers can easily pull out the element but lack the training and knowledge of the First Gen, meaning their magic is going to be more primal and straightforward, lacking versatility and potential.
The Third Gen combines the knowledge and training of a First Gen with the raw elemental power one gains from putting a Lachrima of that element inside their body, basically making that element a part of their being. That means they can easily pull out that element and control it like a part of their body, but at the same time can use their knowledge and training to use it for feats that require a lot more skill and control than a Second Gen could hope to have. They combine the advantages of the First and the Second Gen while getting rid of the disadvantages.
Meanwhile a Hybrid Gen, if you wanted to be realistic, would have the First Gen advantages with one element and the Second Gen advantages with the other.
To activate Force the Third Gen uses the fact that the element is now a part of their body and being, and the knowledge and skill to temporarily merge themselves even more with that element. Both the First and the Second Gen advantages are required to be able to pull out that power and activate it at will instead of having to rely on an outside source to provide enough energy to force it to occur.
I imagine that a First Gen needs to gain enough mana from an outside source because while they have lots of training and experience with using that element to enhance themselves they lack the raw power required. They gather more of that energy from external sources of the required element so they have the power required to activate Force.
The Second Gen on the other hand technically has the raw power but not the experience and training to pull it all out and use it to its fullest potential. They need even more energy from the outside so their body, which already is used to assimilating magic of that element, can compensate for the lack of required knowledge by just brute forcing it and assimilating enough of the required element that Force is activated through a less cost efficient means.
A Hybrid Gen would still have to deal with these disadvantages. They might have the required training for one element, but the inherent power is for the other element, and even if they have two elements to use those two still act separately inside their body. They can't pull out the energy from their Ice Slayer Lachrima and then use the knowledge on how to use Water Slayer magic to activate Force. They still need to gain energy from the outside world, to give the First Gen element the required power to be able to activate and the Second Gen enough power to force it to activate. They can convert Ice and Water from the outside world into raw energy for both sources, but what is inside of them is divided into two elements and one can't be used to fuel the other.
Basically a Hybrid lacks the complete understanding and assimilation with a single element to be able to activate the Hybrid Force without help.
Of course, this is just me throwing in my theory. And I realize that it also doesn't work exactly this way on the site. For example I don't think Second Gen Slayers are required to make their spells more brute force than First Gen Slayers. However I hope I've at least explained my theory well enough that it is understood why Hybrid Slayers don't really require at will Force activation, and why Third Gen needs to have that extra advantage to avoid everybody just becoming a Hybrid Slayer.
And yes, Third Gen Slayers also have the advantage that they can eat their respective element regardless of whether it's infused with holiness or defilement. That's just another extra thing to ensure Hybrid Slayers aren't just plain stronger. Force at will is nice, but most of the time you probably either don't need Force or you're in a situation where, having two elements to consume, you are probably able to find enough to eat anyway.
And from a lore point of view, I don't really see how having two elements inside you would make you better at eating holy or vileness infused versions of either element. Especially since neither Holy or Vileness is a Slayer element (I find it strange that the opposite of Holy is only ever called Unholy so I just call it Vile. If anybody can think of a better name I'm still considering other possibilities).
On a slightly unrelated note I don't really like how you can't become a Hybrid of two opposite elements. I can see how the staff would come to that conclusion, both from a lore point of view and a balance point of view, but I've already thought of several combinations of two opposite elements which would be quite awesome. I know that at the same time it's also the most easy way to become broken overpowered, but still, some of those ideas were quite nice... Bit of a shame that they are also unbalanced so I can't exactly claim that they are made impossible with no good reason.