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blueteller · 2 years ago

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Thought Experiment: In a world with no transmigrator Cale, who could make the best use of Cale's Ancient Powers?

Buckle up, people, you're in for a long ride with this one!

(Warning: lots of head-canons and theories and AU ideas!)

This question occurred to me due to reading many "reaction fics", where the premise is that "The Birth of a Hero" timeline's heroes watch "Trash of the Count's Family" timeline.

If Cale did not transmigrate, but other characters – such as Choi Han, Alberu, Raon et cetera – knew what is to come and teamed up together to save their world... who could use the Ancient Powers to their full potential instead of KRS!Cale?

Let's discuss the first possibility: that a single person would inherit all of the same powers as Cale; or at the very least, the 5 elemental ones. APs such as Vitality of the Heart, Dominating Aura, Annual Rings of Life, Blood-Drenched Rock or even the quasi-Ancient Power that is Fire Suppressing Water combined with the Absorbing Necklace could end up in someone else's possession, in that scenario. Because the ability to Embrace APs belonged originally to Lee Soo Hyuk, and in this TBOAH AU timeline, he wouldn't be giving it to Cale or anyone else, so those additional APs would be harmful in the long run to the user.

(You might be wondering – it should be impossible to get the 5 elemental APs without the Vitality of the Heart, right? There's a way, however. Super Rock has the ability to stall for time in case of a person's plate being close to breaking. So in theory, if Super Rock was the second power taken, it should be possible to balance out the person's plate without Vitality.)

So, keeping all this in mind, let's look at the candidates for possessing the 5 main APs, first.

Choi Han is the most obvious one. As a Single-Lifer, he has a huge plate to work with. Once he balanced out his plate, there should be no problems for him using the APs to their fullest potential. Assuming he got the financial backing from Alberu, he could get all the APs, including the Fire of Destruction. After the expensive fortification, taking a test of character on the Wind Island – which he would certainly pass – and running some errands such as delivering bread or fighting a lake... Choi Han could, in theory make great use of Cale's APs. Even though he wouldn't get along so well with some of the APs as Cale – like sharing the Fire of Destruction's greed, or the thief's love for looting... Choi Han is a brave soul, with a vicious streak and a strong sense of justice. The APs would all willingly support him, and Choi Han is quite smart combat-wise. He could face the White Star with them head on and probably win without issues – provided he had someone with the Annual Rings of Life & the Vitality of the Heart by his side... but that's for later.

But that is the most obvious choice. What about possible candidates for the 5 elemental APs combination?

Let's look at Alberu, first. Since he had the Star of Healing, it's obvious that he's capable of using APs. The darkness attribute might clash.... however, maybe that could be balanced out as well? The opposite of darkness is light, isn't it? And who has the light attribute AP that could potentially help in this?

(Assuming that's how it works, of course, and that the light attribute wouldn't imply kill him, instead. Because I'm not sure which one would happen, but for this premise to work, I'm running with the hypothesis of light and dark balancing each other out instead of harming the user.)

That's right: Bear King Sayeru has a light attribute Ancient Power! And one quite powerful at that!

Assuming the TBOAH cast could, with their foreknowledge, corner Sayeru, steal his light AP and balance out Alberu's plate to make room for more attributes... what would Alberu with 6 Ancient Powers be like?

For one thing, Alberu would become the undisputed leader of the whole war. With other characters like Choi Han and Rosalyn supporting him in leading assaults and armies, he wouldn't need to be everywhere in person at once, just like Cale didn't need to use his powers on every battlefield. The APs would give Alberu the strongest political backing he could have, without Cale being in the picture.

For another, Alberu with 5 APs would be the scariest opponent imaginable to the White Star. Immune to dead mana, yet possessing a light attribute at the same time, he could essentially have no weaknesses. In addition, his ability to use magic and Highest Grade swordsmanship would make him an extremely scary combatant, just like in canon. Alberu could be the only person able to over-power the White Star on every possible field, and MORE. The heritage of the Crossman family being descended from the original White Star would make this premise especially spicy.

So we got Choi Han and Alberu as pretty decent candidates. Who else is there?

What about Rosalyn? That is assuming that the APs wouldn't be extremely deadly in clash with her magic, of course.. Let's say she would have to also acquire the Vitality of the Heart for this, since I can't see a way for her to be able to use magic and APs at the same time with no consequences.

Rosalyn is very intelligent and ambitious. She's also intuitive and extremely creative where it comes to using powers. She could make great use of the Fire of Destruction, she would probably have little trouble listening to the instincts provided by the Sound of Wind, and of course, she had the selfless mindset of a person able to use the Super Rock.

(I'll consider matching individual APs with Rosalyn's character later, as there is quite a lot to unpack there.)

Rosalyn with 5 APs would be the ultimate contradiction for the ideology of the Whipper Kingdom's rebels. It could be quite a useful tool in politics. Furthermore, she'd have no trouble creating her own Magic Tower, and turning it into a symbol of resistance. She'd flatten all of the White Star's mages in record time by herself. As for fighting the White Star himself... I think she'd stand a decent change in such a scenario. She has the mindset most similar one to Cale, after Alberu. She'd be very sneaky and clever about it. I think Rosalyn could eventually beat the White Star on her own, provided that someone with the Annual Rings of Life pointed her in the right direction.

So we considered a Sword Master, a Magic Swordsman, and a Mage for candidates. What about a Beast Person or two, for a change?

(We know for sure that Beast People can use Ancient Powers, since the Bear King Sayeru had one, and it had nothing to do with animal transformations.)

Let's look respectively at what Lock and Witira would be like, if they got the 5 APs.

Lock's main challenges would be his young age, soft temperament, and lack of experience. However, those obstacles can be overcome by time and training. What if Lock had the time to both gain the APs AND get use to them? Choi Han could provide technical instructions. Under Alberu's mentorship, he'd be able to learn using his head and strategize. And Rosalyn would provide the emotional backing and courage.

Lock's personality doesn't match the Fire of Destruction, or the Sound of Wind. However, he'd get along great with the Shield, as well as the Super Rock. Despite his timid demeanor, he is the type of person to push forward, no matter what. Assuming he'd be able to become familiar with the APs sufficiently in time for him to face the White Star...? He could truly be a force to be reckoned with.

However, it's clear that Lock wouldn't be anywhere near the top on the list as a candidate for the 5 APs. No one would actually want to put such a burden on his shoulders.

But, what if we took someone a bit older? Someone stronger and far more experienced, both in training and actual combat?

What about Whale Crown Princess, Witira?

With her natural water affinity, I'm not 100% sure if she'd need all 5 APs, actually... but for the sake of the premise, let's accept that she would still need all 5 elements, just like the rest of the candidates.

Witira would be physically far stronger than the White Star. Having solid 200 years of combat experience is no joke, either – she might not be as old as Cale Barrow, but she could definitely give him a run for his money without the APS being involved. Combine that with her whip proficiency, as well as the mastery of combat APs, such as the Shield or the Spear or the Super Rock... she'd be easily as scary as Alberu.

Of course, Witira's temperament would probably clash with several APs, such as the Fire of Destruction and the Sound of Wind (out of all cast those two are truly the most compatible with KRS!Cale, as this exercise shows). But she's so strong-willed, she would definitely tame those wild powers to her will. Even the dislike of fire wouldn't stop her from using the Fire of Destruction to her full potential, when faced with dead mana. Remember, Witira doesn't care for land life as she cares for the ocean. She probably wouldn't care too much about burning down some places.

Personally, I would place Witira above Rosalyn in the ranking. That leaves us with Choi Han being the top candidate, followed closely by Alberu, then Witira, and then Rosalyn and Lock.

Now, let's get to the funny possibilities:

...What about Toonka?

Yes, I'm taking Toonka into account – despite his character in the beginning definitely being lacking, considering the APs characters. Let's assume that in this AU, Toonka wizens up without Cale being involved. He learns compassion from the rest of the casts and understands the value of comrades, even the weaklings

Toonka was never best fitted for the Sound of Wind. In TBOAH, he probably never used it much. However, that might change a bit, if he got the full set of 5 Ancient Powers.

Assuming Toonka was preparing to face the White Star head on, APs versus APs, Toonka would probably figure out a way to make all the powers useful. Remember, Cale remarked that despite being generally dumb, Toonka had very sharp instincts and combat intelligence. He wouldn't have surprised as a leader of an uprising without those things.

There's quite a lot of hand-waving in this scenario, but let's assume Alberu could deal with other general, strategic parts of the war against the White Star, just like Harol took over that role in canon where it came to politics. The others would work on the sides, but Toonka powered with the 5 APs would be the one to clash against the Final Boss and distract him, before someone with Annual Rings of Life would be able to finish the job.

Toonka would be... terrifying. He'd be chaos incarnate. Unlike other people on the list, such as Choi Han, Alberu, Rosalyn et cetera, there'd be nothing holding him back. He'd unleash the full aggressive potential of all the APs, especially the Fire of Destruction. He'd probably get hurt quite a bit in the process, but he'd recover. Toonka is one resilient bastard, pain really doesn't bother him – he only cares about the thrill of combat.

(It would make him a huge problem AFTER the White Star got defeated... but that's another story.)

At the very least, where it comes to efficiency, Toonka would be right on the top, somewhere between Witira and Rosalyn, I believe.

Another funny candidate – Bud Illis.

Bud would be only able to get 4 APs, due to already possessing a wind AP himself. But even so, he'd be a scary opponent for the White Star. Not as scary as Choi Han, mind you, since Choi Han is stronger than Bud in pretty much every area, due to being over a century old and a Single-Lifer.

However, Bud Illis has something Choi Han doesn't have... and that is the Mercenary Guilds.

Picture, for a moment, Bud Illis and his army of Mercenaries from all over the Eastern Continent, versus the White Star and his Army.

In this scenario, Bud would be the perfect distraction. While Bud dukes it out with the White Star – and even if he wouldn't be QUITE as strong, he'd still be a pretty tough opponent – and the Mercenaries handle the White Star's main forces, the Roan Kingdom forces and allies could smack the White Star on the back quite efficiently. He probably wouldn't know what hit him, before someone with the Annual Rings of Life finished him off.

There could be other characters fit for the role of the main 5 APs holder, but none of them would be higher on the list than Bud, I don't think. For example: Mary could potentially wield the APs alongside the Light AP, just like Alberu. But it would likely hinder her own style of combat the process, which is using dark threads and controlling bones; both of which require great focus and precision. And while Ron and Beacrox with 5 APs could be very interesting, their main strength was never open combat, but stealth and sneak attacks. They would work much better as support in the shadows, rather than the enemies to focus on. Having 5 APs would kind of destroy their true potential.

Now that we got the "5 main APs together" premise out of the way... Let's try to find the best match among the TBOAH cast for each of the APs. Since it's impossible to have 2 elements at a time without consequences, if a character doesn't get all the 5 APs together, they can only pick one at a time.

Let's start with the Indestructible Shield.

The most obvious candidate would be Lock, since he showed his talent with Shield Arts in canon. That seems a bit cheap of an answer, however... It definitely wouldn't suit other main characters, though. Choi Han's aggressive style of combat isn't very compatible with how the Shield Works. Rosalyn already has her own shields. Alberu would have the same problems as the previous two, except twice as much, due to being a Magic Swordsman AND a dead-mana user on the top of it. The Shield would be also too flashy for the Molans.

Someone else came to my mind, however... two people, actually.

Firstly, what would you think about Litana?

Litana's character would fit the Shield quite a lot. Her role as the defender of the forest creatures would prove the Shield to be very compatible with the Queen of the Jungle, as well. Litana could have protected the Jungle from dead mana the same way Cale did so in the canon. Not to mention, she's as strong as Toonka in combat, and extremely fast and agile – especially when combined with her panther Ten.

The second candidate in my mind would be Princess Jopis.

Jopis has weak powers as a shaman, which are connected to nature. While it's possible it counts as an elemental attribute on its own (personally I never got that impression) – if it had to have an elemental attribute to it, it would probably still be wood. Which would make Jopis able to use her powers and the Shield without a clash. Her situation would make the ability to neutralize dead mana with nature extremely useful, especially in conflict with Elisneh and her river of dead mana.

So if I had to rank it, I'd put Litana as the top candidate for the Shield, then Lock, then Jopis.

Next, we have the Sound of Wind.

While Toonka got it in canon, it was clearly a poor match. The Wind AP provides agility, as well as instincts to seek out divine and ancient artifacts, neither of which could be explored by such a simple, brash person as Toonka.

It also doesn't fit Choi Han, Lock or Rosalyn, or even the Whales. None of them are really subtle fighters, more like power houses who need to run wild to make full use of their combat potential. Adding some extra speed wouldn't make a big difference for them, I believe.

My first take would be the Molans, obviously. Ron is already scarily agile without the power, so the Wind AP would make his stealth twice as scary. Same with Beacrox, even though his style of broadsword fighting is different than his father's.

My second thought would be Dark Elves. They already have the elementals on their side but someone like Tasha with the Wind AP? That would be a scary combination... She has all the stealth ability needed, the sneaky mindset, and her alliance with a Wind Elemental would make the Sound of Wind potentially twice as powerful, when it comes to creating whirlwinds.

There's also, once again, Bud Illis. Who could have 2 APs with the same attribute. As a sneaky Mercenary and a Swordmaster, he would definitely make good use of the Wind AP.

I've toyed with the idea of Pendrick as well, since he doesn't have an elemental... however, Pendrick the healer doesn't really strike me as the type to steal things. I think it would be a poor match, in the end.

That would make the Molans (especially Ron), Bud, and Tasha my top picks for the Sound of Wind candidates.

Next, there's the Fire of Destruction. And ohhh boy, isn't that an interesting one when you consider the possibilities.

Perhaps Alberu could have that AP, if it could balance itself out with the darkness attribute. He's certainly rich enough to get it, even though he'd definitely hurt from the loss... of money. But while Alberu could make good use of it from a strategic point of view, it wouldn't really match his position as the "kind, charismatic leader". This kind of fire would make people only afraid of him, unlike if he had all the 5 APs to make himself to main hero. It would fit better in the hands of someone like Choi Han... except Choi Han's personality doesn't quite the Fire AP. Rosalyn would probably be the best pick out the main cast... but I have someone better in mind.

I believe the one to fit this power best would be Hannah.

Hannah has literally the personality of a raging wildfire. If she could balance out her darkness attribute with the Fire AP – or if she could get it before getting poisoned by dead mana, and avoid having the darkness attribute altogether – she could make great use of the Fire of Destruction. She could face the Empire's Golems head on, and it would match her role as the "Holy Maiden of the Sun God" extremely well (despite Hannah disliking the title and rejecting it in canon). Add the Condemnation of the Sun on the top of it, and she'd be Black Magic's biggest nightmare.

Another interesting pick would be Mary... Mary can be subtle, but the Fire of Destruction in her hands would be a very interesting thing. She'd be able to control dead mana in all aspects; in the sense of absorbing it or purifying it at will, depending on circumstances. She'd also make a fascinating public figure for the Western Continent, as a contradiction of being a Necromancer who has the attribute of Light at the same time. Like the inverted second coming of the Queen of Death: perhaps people would call her "the Queen of Life".

So, I'm putting Hannah and Mary as my top picks, even though it probably wouldn't work in canon. Rosalyn could be third, as long as her being a Mage wouldn't be an issue at well (which canon isn't extremely clear about).

Fourth AP to discuss: Super Rock.

Super Rock is the most universal one out of the main APs, I believe. Any of the main cast could definitely make a great use of it. As long as the person is heroic enough to be willing to sacrifice themselves – which is easily 90% of the TBOAH hero cast... Choi Han would be extremely proficient with it. Same with Lock. An interesting option occurred to me, however, when I considered priestess Cage and Taylor Stan.

Cage is quite the chaotic character. I even briefly considered if she could be a good candidate for the Wind and Fire APs. However, for some strange reason, she felt a bit too subtle for the Fire, and too brash for the Wind. She feels... somewhere in the middle for me. A strong-headed, surprisingly sneaky person, yet as steady as a stone. Cage and Taylor are quite similar in that regard.

Once it occurred to me that those two could be AP users as well... Taylor, perhaps, wouldn't want to be directly involved in fighting, despite knowing martial arts. He's more of a political leader type. But Cage? She would certainly be willing to help out. She's sneaky enough to get captured on purpose in order to free other hostages. With that in mind... I think it would depend on circumstances, but if the Super Rock ended up in either of their hands, they could do crazy, amazing things with it. I think Super Rock would have approved of both of them. But Cage would be a better AP user, in the end.

So Choi Han, Lock, and Cage are my main picks, surprisingly.

Out of the main APs, we finally get to the Sky Eating Water... and let me tell you, that's a hard one.

I think it's mostly because out of all the APs, it comes with a clear recommended weapon affinity: spear. While Choi Han could definitely handle it, it doesn't strike me as very fitting. Same with Lock. Rosalyn and the Molans are definitely out.

Alberu is definitely an interesting candidate due to his skills, but Taerang would suit him much, much better as a spear of choice. Not to mention, there's no knowing how compatible a Water AP would be with his attribute.

Speaking of compatible with water...

A water power would fit Witira quite nicely as a Whale Beast Person, but her weapon of choice is a whip... Then again, she's not the only Whale around. So perhaps, Archie would have been a better pick? He's definitely aggressive and wild enough to fit this power. It could also be Paseton, I suppose, depending on how his spear-fighting skill compares to Archie.

Then there's Litana, although I still think that the Shield would be a good pick for her, her combat style definitely fits the Water AP.

In the end, I'd put a Whale (either Archie, Paseton or Witira) as the top candidate, then Litana, Choi Han and Alberu. Alberu's a last resort, however. Overall, Archie would probably be the best bet though.

FINALLY, we went over the main APs... but it's still not over.

We still have the Vitality of the Heart, the Annual Rings of Life, the Dominating Aura, the Blood-Drenched Rocks, the Absorbing Necklace and the Fire Suppressing Water to consider.

I'll be frank with the first two: they have to be a pair. No matter how hard I try, Vitality has to be used to stop the White Star with the World Tree Dagger. And the Rings have to direct the Vitality user to stab the White Star in his weak point. So either the two APs work together closely as comrades, or they belong to the same person.

The only person who can have the full power of the Annual Rings of Life is Cale Henituse, however. If KRS doesn't transmigrate, then it has to be the original one. The reason for it is because Jour made the test in such a way that only her close relative – aka. her son – would be able to inherit half of this power. The other half that the White Star took COULD belong to someone else, I suposse... but even so, the first can only belong to Cale. There can be no other.

Vitality itself is useful, but due to being a human power, which is neutral attribute-wise, it can belong to pretty much anyone. The necessity of it being used against the White Star, however, makes it so that it has to stay close to Cale, the Annual Rings user. So either Cale gets both powers – both Vitality and the Annual Rings – or Cale helps out the person with Vitality to use the dagger of the World Tree. There really are no other options in order to make this TBOAH-saves-their-world-without-KRS!Cale premise work, really...

The Dominating Aura... has to be Alberu's. I'm sorry, but it's like the power was created for him. It has to be in the hands of a scammer.

Even though just like Vitality, pretty much anyone could use it in theory... no one else would use it as well as Alberu. For Choi Han it would be especially useless, because he already has a powerful aura as a Swordmaster – aside from when facing the White Star directly, but even then, he wouldn't really need it.

Blood-Drenched Rocks in a very interesting AP, though. Cale has limited contact with it, in canon. But it's strongly implied that it has demonic influence. This power, just like the Sky Attribute, likely originated from the Demonic World, unlike all the other APs. That means that whoever gets this power, has to have a very strong will, humility, and immunity to the power of death.

And strangely enough... the top 2 who come to mind are either Alberu, or Mary.

Once again, Alberu having this power would be delightfully ironic, considering who his ancestor it. Mary, on the other hand... I feel like out of all people, this power would truly be safe in her hands. Mary would never be tempted to abuse it. She would use it only in the time of biggest need: in the main battle against the White Star, just like Cale.

So, Mary is definitely comes as my top pick, and Alberu is second. No one else really comes to mind, as I definitely don't think Choi Han would be able to keep this power in check as closely as it needs to be. Too much darkness inside his heart, et cetera: it's the story of the Black Despair all over again.

We went through all the actual APs. And at last, we come to the Fire Suppressing Water, and the Absorbing Necklace.

The reason I list those two separately is because they ARE separate. In canon, combining them into one power was Cale's idea. Which was a very good one, too! However, that doesn't mean they need to stay that way. The Fire Suppressing Water is a good component on its own, capable of bestowing complete fire immunity; as it happened to Toonka in the TBOAH timeline. And the Absorbing Necklace's potential is truly limitless, as it was able to convert a small puddle in to a river's worth of water easily. Just think of how much potential it holds, for example, absorbing dead mana. Or the power of the elementals. Or On's mists, or Hong's poisons.

For that reason, I truly think that it would be the most useful for the two kittens. This necklace in their hands could potentially amplify their abilities to a truly stunning degree.

As for the Fire Suppressing Water... out of all people, I think Rosalyn, Rex and Raon would be able to figure out the best use for it. Remember that seed from the magic tower, capable of storing the power of nature? Just imagine: human magic, alchemy, Dragon magic AND the power of nature combined??? Absolute madness would follow. The Empire's pathetic flames would never stand a chance.

So, here's my overall ranking:

Out of all people, all 5 APs would be best fitted for Choi Han. Which isn't surprising at all. While others could do it, his plate and age definitely make him the obvious choice.

However, in case that Choi Han wasn't chosen gather the 5 APs – which would be fair, that's a huge responsibility no one should be forced to have on their shoulders... Here's what I think would be the wisest choice of distributing the APs.

The Shield AP would fit Litana the best.

The Wind AP would become the greatest asset in Ron's hands.

The Fire AP would be amazing in Hannah's possession.

The Super Rock AP should be Choi Han's in the end.

The Water AP would fit shockingly well with Archie.

The Vitality and Annual Rings should both end up with OG Cale. Defeating the White Star is the endgame, after all, and we got no other way to destroy a reincarnation’s soul in canon.

The Dominating Aura has to be Alberu's, because it being wasted in the hands of someone who's NOT a scammer... That would be a crime.

The Blood-Drenched Rocks should be placed safely in Mary's hands, as she's the one most suited to resist its temptations.

The Absorbing Necklace should be used by Hong and On to amplify their attributes, or by the Dark Elves to collect dead mana – especially dead Dragon mana from the swamp. It could be used for both in one timeline, too.

The Fire Suppressing Water should be studied by Rosalyn, Raon and the rest of our beloved mad scientists, to create weapons against the Empire's alchemy.

...What do you guys think?