Water God Style

""Even if it's cold, they can't wear heavy things on their bodies. They're the opposite of us who wear thick clothes even when it's hot. It's interesting, isn't it?""

- Water God Reida Reia

Water God Style (水神流) is one of the three major schools of swordsmanship.

Background
The origins of the Water God Style started a long time ago in a country by the sea that is frequently attacked by Water Dragon King especially the fisherman that encroached on his territory and incurred his wrath which also results to attacking the port town. The country's knight order tried to subdue the dragon but failed due to its massive size and ability to move freely through the water of the country which pushed the country to the brink of ruins. In this situation, the king declared that he would offer both his crown and daughter's hand to any who could subdued the Water Dragon King but many knights, brave men and heroes who took up the challenge were torn to pieces by the Water Dragon King.

With all the heroes and knights defeated, Reidar approaches the king and tells him that he will defeat the dragon who consents but is doubtful that a sloppy man with a vagrant visage will make a difference and like the king many thought he would give up half way. Despite his appearance, Reidar was strong and froze the surface of the ocean to stop the Water Dragon's movement but he eventually broke out of the ice and attacks Reidar. With his worn out sword, Reidar returned the Water Dragon King's unblockable strike and slicing its head off with a single slash.

With the Water Dragon King's head in hand, Reidar returns to the king who gave him a fortune great enough to play around for the rest of his life but the king refuses to give his daughter nor the crown to this dirty man. Reidar was not mad but he fell into a deep depression as he is in love with the princess that he had always watched from afar. Despite being able become king through sheer force easily, Reidar decides to leave the country but the princess got angry at the king, hit him which sends him flying then left the castle.

The princess chased after Reidar who was leaving the country and clung to his legs then tells him: "I have abandoned my country. I am no longer a princess, nor do I have a last name. Even if you obtain me, you won't be able to have the country, you won't be able to become king. But if that is agreeable with you, please take me as your wife." Reidar held the princess in his arms and left the country and the two eventually married then vanished.

Decades later somewhere in the world, the Water God Style was born. And accordance with the Reidar's story a custom was born. "The spouse of the Water God Style shall abandon their household." like the princess did.

Characteristics
It is a style of swordsmanship that specializes in defensive techniques emphasizing parrying and counter-attacking oncoming attacks. Since there are only a few ways to attack, there is also the art of provocation to make the opponent take the initiative.

A skilled practitioner would be able to read the flow of Magic and use their senses to block and counter any attack, including magic and projectiles.

The downfall of the Water God Style is that the user cannot attack first while displaying Water God Style techniques, making it weak against North God Style due to their characteristics of sudden-attack, trickeries, and adaptability, which are hard to read. On the other hand, Water God Style is a good match against Sword God Style due to their philosophy of taking the initiative and striking first.

Practitioners often wear heavy equipment such as full-body armor, as they do not need to move themselves. This sword style is mostly used by palace knights and nobles, where the job is to protect someone or themselves.

Succession
To succeed to the title of Water God, one must master at least three of the Five Secret Arts of the Water God Style left by the founder, the first Water God Reidar.

Flow

 * Flow (流ナガレ): The basic counter-attack technique that can be applied to all the techniques of the Water God Style. This technique, once mastered, is said to be able to return any attack that comes in the user's way. Although it is a basic technique and not one of the Five Secret Arts, the school considers it to be the backbone of the style and the most important technique, thus it is also regarded as a secret art (奥義).

Five Secret Arts

 * Five Secret Arts (五つの奥義): The collective name of the five undisclosed ultimate techniques of the Water God Style. Even just one of the Arts is extremely hard to master, and when at least three of them have been perfected the individual is qualified to be a Water God.

Deprivation Sword Kingdom

 * Deprivation Sword Kingdom (剥奪剣界): An ultimate technique formed by combining the two most difficult Five Secret Arts, also called the phantom Sixth Secret Art. In this technique, the user takes a stationary stance which allows to react to the movement of the opponent in all possible directions within the range of the technique, and unleash a deadly slash capable of cutting down everything in its vicinity.

Ranks
There are seven ranks in the Water God Style:
 * 1) Water God
 * 2) Water Emperor
 * 3) Water King
 * 4) Water Saint
 * 5) Water God Style Advanced
 * 6) Water God Style Intermediate
 * 7) Water God Style Beginner

Practitioners who are of Saintly level and above may call themselves a Saint, King, Emperor or God of the Water God school. Similar to the system of Sword God Style, there can be only one swordsman of the God rank while the there can be multiple practitioners who can assume the rank of Water Emperor and below.

Known Practitioners

 * Water God: Reida Reia †, Isolte Cruel, Reidar, Orsted


 * Water Emperors:Isolte Cruel (Former), Gal Farion †


 * Water Kings:Isolte Cruel (Former)


 * Water Saints: Klein Dinoltas †, Cortage Head


 * Advanced: Paul Greyrat †


 * Intermediate: Soldat Heckler, Lilia Greyrat, Ginger, Therese Latreia


 * Beginners:Rudeus Greyrat, Luke Notos Greyrat, Aisha Greyrat

Trivia

 * The first generation Water God was the only individual ever to master all of the Five Secret Arts.
 * The name of the first generation Water God, Reidar, is a popular name around the Shirone Kingdom.
 * Male Water Gods would inherit the Reidar name, whereas female Water Gods would be called Reida.
 * The headquarters of the Water God school is located in Ars, the capital of Asura Kingdom on the Central Continent.
 * Water God Reida Reia is the only known swordsman who have mastered the technique Deprivation Sword Kingdom, and is what allowed her ascension to the God rank despite the existence of several other qualified swordsmen.
 * Water God Style is regarded as last among the three Sword Style after the North God style, perhaps due to its passive nature.