Flow

**Flow** is the term given to the many different techniques, spells, and abilities that exist in the world of By the Blade. In order to use flow, the user must be able to manifest their internal energy and release it outward in the form required for a given flow technique. Because energy comes in many different forms and the transformation of energy is entirely up to the user, the potential number of techniques to be created is essentially limitless.

## Basic Knowledge

Flow, general speaking, is one's inner energy molded from within and manipulated to create the several types of magical, elemental, or physical abilities.

### Ranks

* E-Rank
* D-Rank
* C-Rank
* B-Rank
* A-Rank
* S-Rank
* S+-Rank

## Flow Types

### Spiritual

*Main article: Spiritual Flow*

Spiritual flow is a physical manifestation of one's spirit, a type of flow that requires the user to use both their energy and soul to create powerful attacks. The soul can pertain to their mental or emotional strength, as well as their literal soul. These attacks are limited only by the user's imagination and the strength of the source that the user is drawing their power from. Most commonly, spiritual flow is created and empowered by one's emotions and can be amplified through them as well, but some of the most powerful attacks come directly from the user's very being.

### Elemental

*Main article: Elemental Flow*

Elemental flow is, as the name suggest, manipulation of the natural elements of wind, water, earth, and fire. Though the main four are the most common types of elemental flow, they are not the only types and can be combined to create new flow types. All elemental flow types allow the user to manipulate the given element, but some allow the user to create the element from thin air using the energy within them.

#### Pyro Flow

*Main article: Pyro Flow*

Pyro flow is the manipulation of fire, can be referred to as pyrokinesis or pyromancy as well. Simply put, pyro flow grants the user control over the element of fire, allowing them to manipulate preexisting flames or generate their own. It is naturally weak against hydro and cryo flow, and strong against aero flow.

#### Hydro Flow

*Main article: Hydro Flow*

Hydro flow grants the user the manipulation of water. It can also be referred to as hydrokinesis or hydromancy. With hydro flow, the user is limited to only manipulating existing water, but skilled users are able to draw liquids from a variety of sources, including nearby plants, in the atmosphere, or even their own sweat. Hydro flow is naturally weak against geo flow but strong against pyro flow.

#### Cryo Flow

*Main article: Cryo Flow*

Cryo flow is the manipulation of ice, it can be referred to as cryomancy or cryokinesis. Cyro flow grants the user control over ice and sometimes water as well, as it is a alteration of hydro flow. It is naturally weak to electro and geo flow, but strong against pyro flow.

#### Aero Flow

*Main article: Aero Flow*

Aero flow is the manipulation of wind, sometimes referred to as aerokinesis. Aero flow grants the user control over wind, allowing them to create gusts of air in any direction of their choosing, as well as making them as weak or as powerful as the user desires. Aero flow is weak to pyro flow and strong against electro flow.

#### Geo Flow

*Main article: Geo Flow*

Geo flow is the manipulation of earth, which can be referred to as geokinesis. Geo flow grants the user control over the element of earth in the environment around them. It does not allow the user to create earth, but only manipulate and mold the earth and dirt how the user sees fit. Geo flow is weak to electro flow but strong against hydro flow.

#### Electro Flow

*Main article: Electro Flow*

Electro flow is the manipulation of electricity and lightning, sometimes referred to as electrokinesis. Electro flow allows the user the control over electricity and lightning, allowing them to not only control the discharge of electrons in the air around them, but create their own discharges by utilizing body heat. Electro flow is weak against aero flow but strong against geo flow.

### Physical

*Main article: Physical Flow*

Physical flow is the usage of energy to amplify and empower the user's physical prowess. Flow of this type allows the user to empower several different attributes of one's own body, increasing their strength, body mass or type, speed, vision and much more. Though physical flow can amplify the body's abilities, the limit is bound by how much the body can endure.

### Cosmic

*Main article: Cosmic Flow*

Cosmic flow refers to the manipulation of energy that pertains to the physicality of the world around the user, including light, nature, gravity, sound, shadows and more. Unlike the elemental flow types, there are no clear counters of one flow nature to another and are instead won out by the skill of the user. Additionally, most cosmic flow types are limited only by the user's imagination.

### Psychic

*Main article: Psychic Flow*

Psychic flow is the usage of energy that bestows the user supportive type abilities, most frequently mind, aura, energy, and flow reading. However, more advanced users of psychic flow can use more offensive abilities such as mental binding, manipulation, clairempathy and much much more.

### Vampiric Flow

*Main article: Vampiric Flow*

Vampiric flow is an extremely rare flow type and isn't one that can be learned naturally. In fact, it is a flow type one either has to be born with or given by another with said flow type. Vampiric flow is the usage of energy to take and dissect energy or flow from living beings, simply copying the new flow type or stealing and removing from someone entirely. While there is no direct counter to keep a vampiric flow user form copying a flow type, one can be protected from flow erasure by protective sensory flow type abilities.

## Combined Flow Types

By using and combining two or more flow types, a fighter is capable of creating an entirely new flow type that cannot exist on its own. The performing of this technique is called Konji Nagare (混じ流れ, *literally meaning*: Mixed Flow). Within the world of By the Blade, these techniques are referred to simply as nagare or nagare techniques. They are extremely rare and only a few are known to exist within the Septisegyai.

### List of Konji Nagare

* Metal Flow
* Cryo Flow
* Nature Flow
* Wood Flow