Pride

== Appearance ==
Pride goes through many appearances, which is understandable in his line of "work". However, Pride does prefer to remain in his original form he was born in that has grown along with his power.
His form is human-like, except for the red skin, the red demonic tail, and large red wings along with the silver horns adorned on his head. His hair, once white, had become stained with the blood of the numerous demons he killed during his rampage. He has piercing grey eyes, which many say can look straight into a person's soul and stop lesser beings in their tracks.
To hide his true form from others, Pride appears as a tan skinned man in his 20s with blood red hair and piercing gray eyes. His clothing consists of a formal suit, like those from the 1800's, making Pride look as professional as possible, along with a black tie and formal black shoes. Pride also carries around a cane at all times, mainly because it is fancy as hell.
== Personality ==
Being the personification for the Sin of Pride, Pride is known for his vanity, self-idolatry, self-assurance, and sadistic contempt. He considers himself to be entitled to do whatever he wants, not just because he has the power to do so. It is simply because he can, so he does. 
The demon is known for only looking number one, which is himself. He often sacrifices others if he knew that he would gain more from doing so, yet he claims that he would never do such a thing if it involved his "siblings", except Greed, since that bastard would backstab anyone for money. Whether that claim is true or not has yet to be determined.
Pride is interested in the mortals of Earth, most of the time attracted to those with large amount of self-worth and power. This is because the demon prides himself in taking sadistic pleasure in breaking these individuals as a way of putting them back in their place for even thinking themselves to be higher than the seventh Sin. He does this in the form of making contracts with them to give them exactly what they want, but it often comes at a price and it usually backfires on the demon's victims.
Pride is often disgusted with those that have no self-worth. Yet, the demon is willing to lend a helping hand with one of his deals. After all, if they want more power to actually become worth a damn in society, who is he to ignore their pleas? So long as they don't mind the side-effects that come with making deals with the demon, which can have such a high cost. If they weren't such weaklings, they would have known better than to make deals with the devil.
Yes, Pride doesn't just consider himself to just be a greater demon. He considers himself to be THE Devil, since he strongly believes that he is the strongest out of all the demons in hell, including his "siblings".
As one can easily tell from the amount of confidence that the demon exudes, Pride believes himself to be so strong that he doesn't even consider the fact that he might have limits. Yet, with that amount of over-confidence, the demon has yet to actually get into any trouble that he couldn't handle because of his terrifying power. 
Pride, when pushed, can go into a blind rage. When he does, many are advised to stay out of his way if they don't want to end up being erased by the Sin. The only recorded time that Pride had gone into a blind rage was when he decimated half of the 7th circle of hell, leaving that half into a barren wasteland with many of its inhabitants dead.
== Backstory ==
Unlike the other deadly Sins, Pride was a natural born demon. He started his life as an Imp, the lowest and weakest in the hierarchy. As such, he only performed menial tasks, often being the source of ridicule by the other higher demons because of his weakness. 
As an imp, the demon had many weaknesses and little to no strength. Yet, Pride's biggest weakness was that he was far too trusting for a demon, which often gotten him stabbed in the back by the other imps and often tricked into doing more work. Time kept passing, and Pride had yet to learn of his mistakes.
Those days were filled with agony and humiliation, constantly getting stabbed in the back and nearly getting himself killed more times than he could count. One day, Pride had gotten tricked once again by another imp. Having had enough of the same routine, Pride proceeded to beat on the imp until it could no longer be recognized. 
It felt amazing, the rush, the power that he gained from taking the life of another demon. He realized, right then, that he could become stronger, strong enough to make those bastards listen to his demands instead, strong enough that they'd be insects in comparison to him. It was that day that Pride not only learned to trust only himself, but he also learned that he could reach the top of the food chain and no one will stand in his way. Having reached that realization, the imp proceeded to kill off other imps in order to grow stronger.
Eventually, the imp had grown so strong that his whole body changed. No longer was he the small and thin lesser creature of his hell, he was now a bit bigger, a lesser demon. With this power, he would get the recognition he deserves. They would learn to fear him, to bow before him now.
It still wasn't enough. While the jobs were slightly better, it still wasn't a job for someone of his strength. The lesser demon kept watch of the tarnished souls, those who are even lower ranked than imps and have no actual power in hell. It was then that the lesser demon learned of the mortals and how they would do anything to get out of their situation.
It was then, that Pride had an idea. In exchange for freedom, the tarnished souls were to do some favors for the lesser demon in his quest for recognition and power. He freed a few souls, let them cause some chaos in the 7th circle of hell, and the lesser demon proceeded to take advantage of the chaos to kill any fellow demons and gaining even more power. Once that was done, Pride proceeded to cash in on the favors that the freed souls owed him.
It was incredibly satisfying, seeing the looks on the tarnished souls faces as Pride began to slaughter them to gain more power. Their screams, their pleads, it was like music to the demon's ears as they begged for him to stop, complaining that it wasn't part of their deal. Pride explained very clearly that the deal was to free them, nothing said that he couldn't kill them as his favor. 
These pathetic mortals should have known better than to make a deal with the devil.
It didn't take long for Pride to rise through the ranks once again. Now, he was no longer a pathetic lesser demon. He was now a Daemon, a well regarded and strong demon. Finally, Pride gained the respect he deserves. He was now part of the defense force for the 7th circle of Hell.
Yet, it wasn't enough. Pride knew, deep down, that he wouldn't be satisfied until he was at the very top of the food chain. No one would dare call him weak if he was standing at the top, looking down at the foolish insects that dare stand in his way. He couldn't stop now, not when there were still those stronger than him around.
With a plan in mind, the daemon kept killing off more demons to gain more strength for what was coming. He went around, making offers to other demons for power if they helped him. Some agreed, those that refused were eliminated, since he didn't need anyone to ruin his plans.
And so, Pride unleashed chaos in the 7th circle of hell. The demons he recruited would go around slaughtering others, gaining the attention of the daemon defense and attack forces. While that was happening, Pride sneakily killed a few daemons on his way to challenge the ruler of the 7th circle of hell. Believing in his absolute power, Pride proceeded to fight the Greater Demon, a powerful and the highest rank a natural born demon can reach.
It was a long and hard-fought battle. His foe was powerful, but Pride proved himself to be stronger. He kept hitting the demon, over and over. Pride can recall the bones of his hands breaking, but he kept throwing punch after punch until the ruler was no more. 
It was right then that Pride felt it once again. The rush, the power that once belonged to the Greater Demon was now coursing through him. He grew once again, now becoming a Greater Demon and the new ruler of the 7th circle of Hell. He also gained a title, which proved to be fitting to the demon. This title would strike fear and respect into the very core of demons that come across him.
The Seventh Deadly Sin, Pride.
Time passed, Pride was now at the very top of the food chain along with those he would call his "siblings", the other six deadly sins. Pride still considered himself the strongest out of the seven, but he grew to respect them over time, but he knew better to simply trust only himself in order to keep himself alive.
Pride grew to become envious of his siblings, since they all could simply travel between Hell and Earth because of their previous human life. The others used to be human, but Pride was a natural born demon, which meant that he couldn't simply travel to Earth. And he couldn't ask for any help from his "siblings", he wouldn't hear the end of it if he had to do something for them.
Using his great power, Pride willed himself to transport to Earth with self-assurance. He believed he could do it, and, miraculously, it actually worked. The demon had arrived on Earth without much issue, which he then proceeded to make as many deals as he can with any foolish mortal he came across, gaining more power through each contract.
Unfortunately, trouble arose for the deadly sin. His way of arrival had not gone unnoticed by others, which drew their attention to him. Not wanting to give up this life, and knowing full well that no one was strong enough to stand in his way, Pride met them head on and fought against these people. He had the upper hand, he couldn't be defeated by them at all. This was his win!
That was, until a mage had performed a spell that banished the demon into the deepest part of Hell. The 9th circle, which was completely frozen and had no one around. He would remain trapped for many years, with one of his Iblis servants sending telepathic messages about what was happening in his circle of Hell and the whereabouts of the other Sins.
When he heard that his "siblings" had all left Hell for a very long time doing their own thing while he was still trapped in his ice prison, Pride couldn't take it anymore. With a loud scream, he willed himself free, utterly devastating part of his prison and freeing himself. As a way to take out his frustration, Pride proceeded to decimate half of the 7th circle of hell along with mercilessly slaughtering many demons, leaving half of the place a barren wasteland. Pride took pleasure in watching the Lesser Demons attempt to survive as they squirmed around the wasteland. The Iblis were kept alive, since Pride favored them thanks to the messages they would send to him about the events happening outside of his home.
Knowing full well that he needed to be out of here once again to exact his revenge, the demon decided to do things the normal way. Thankfully, it didn't take long for someone to come across his contract and summon him. He had been summoned by a girl, one that wanted to make her dear old dad proud by being as a strong as her sister. Naturally, Pride couldn't help himself in making a deal with the girl as thanks for letting him be free. Of course, the girl would soon realize her mistake when her whole ritual backfired at the cost of her dear sister. And with a maniacal laugh, Pride was free once more to do whatever he wanted!
It has been years now that he was free, he's been travelling the world while making contracts to gain more power. He had also been gathering information about the whereabouts of his fellow "siblings" that had gone off to do their own thing while he was left to freeze over in the coldest part of Hell. He now knew where all of them were, and the predicaments they were currently in. He had to pay each of them a visit.
After all, Pride didn't want them interfering with the big plans that he had in mind. If anyone were to stand in his way now...
The demon will slaughter each and every one of them without hesitation.
== Abilities ==
Being a demon, Pride has the basic affinity for Fire, except that he has not found much use for it because of his other abilities. Because of this, his demonic fire is only used for show, changing shapes among other things for the sake of emphasis or for dramatic effect. The only other thing that Pride's fire can do is display the demon's current mood, much like a mood ring.
Layers of Pride is what he calls his cloning ability he gained from killing the previous ruler of the 7th circle of hell, Self-Assurance granting him this power. Pride is able to split himself up to ten times at once, which he can mentally give out commands for each of them all at once without the need for much concentration. However, Pride's original power is also split from the creation of the clones, the power split increasing with each clone (From 1/2 power to 1/10 power.) 
About two or three fatal hits is enough to cause a clone to poof out of existence, or they can simply be dispelled by Pride. When a clone is dispelled or "killed", Pride's power returns and he gains the memories of the clone before it was "poofed", causing a slight headache if multiple clones are dispelled at once.
Given that each clone is split off from the original, each clone has a specific part of the original Pride's personality, albeit exaggerated. This means that the clones themselves have a mind of their own, but are still compelled to follow the original's commands, although, they simply do things in their own way.
There are 10 different personality fragments that make up the 10 clones:
1. Sadomasochist Pride: A clone born from the demon's general interests in pain and suffering, although he has gained a love for giving and receiving pain and humiliation.
2. Flamboyant Pride: A clone made up of Pride's self-confidence, style, and his general want for attention. He believes to be a magician, often doing magic tricks in front of a large audience just for the sake of the applause. His notable feature is the bright red cape that he wears along with his suit and his magician's top hat.
3. Horror Pride: A clone born from the fear of others that have come in contact with Pride along with Pride's own fears. His skin is pale, like the life was sucked out of him. He loves gore, general bloodshed, and scaring the hell out of people.
4. Strategist Pride: A clone made out of Pride's cunning and his way with words. Strategist often comes up with a lot of schemes with his deals, so he's often let out to come up with plans along with the original. He's a fan of the game of chess and is often seen reading a book.
5. Cynical Pride: A clone born from the Pride's cynicism. It is exaggerated to the point that Cynical takes on the form of a teenage, moody Pride.
6. Chaotic Pride: The most unstable of the clones. Chaotic is born from Pride's way of doing whatever he wants. Could be patting a dog in one instant and kicking it into a moving car the next instant. Hates Order Pride.
7. Order Pride: Born from Pride's sophistication, calmness, and neatness. A clean-freak, needs to keep everything in order and loves to follow the rules. Hates Chaotic Pride.
8. Melancholy Pride: Born from his belief to be the strongest. Melancholy believes that no one can reach Pride's level of strength, so he's in a constant state of sadness because of it. Wants a challenge, but he knows that no one can provide it.
9. Extreme Pride: Born from the rush Pride got from killing demons and absorbing their power. Instead of killing, Extreme gets his rush from performing death-defying stunts and getting into fights for the purpose of the adrenaline. Wears a white and red daredevil outfit and is often seen driving a motorcycle through windows.
10. Nice Pride: The first clone to come to being. What used to be Pride before he snapped and killed to gain power to become the strongest. Extremely trusting of others, usually offers fair deals to strangers and "freebies" to friends, and an all-around nice person. Often picked on by the other clones and the original Pride. Usually kept from being brought out, but Nice somehow finds a way to be brought out.
The source of the demon's pride takes on the form of an ability that Pride calls "Self-Assurance," the ability to create anything so long as the demon has his confidence and willpower always present. As such, this ability allows Pride to bend reality itself to some extent.
While the ability allows Pride to essentially make anything happen, it does come with its own limits. For one, Self-Assurance does not grant incredibly powerful abilities like immortality, only enhancing Pride's natural healing and making him more durable instead. This is because Pride's ability requires the actual know-how of an ability to actually perform it, hence why he's not able to perform some abilities that should be possible with his Self-Assurance, but are not due to the lack of knowledge over the ability.
A large flaw in Pride's power is Pride himself. To be more specific, his confidence in his own abilities. He actually believes to have these incredibly powerful abilities that Self-Assurance can't keep up with Pride, granting him whatever it is currently in Self-Assurance's power to keep up with the demon's belief (Example: Pride trying to cause a new ice age, but Self-Assurance grants him the ability to shoot beams of ice and cause the area to snow for a day or so instead).
A notable and most prominent use for the Self-Assurance ability is its Creation power. This allows Pride to create anything that exists out of thin air, so long as the objects in question exists within the current time and space, and they are not arcane/supernatural in nature, given that requires a specific type of magical essence that a demon like him is not able to create. However, he is able to copy the signature of these essences, but it wouldn't have the ability that the actual objects would have.
Over the course of Pride's life in Hell, his Self-Assurance ability had grown along with him. Because demons gained power from other demons, and Pride's Self-Assurance requires knowledge over an ability to actively use that part of the power, he unknowingly gained knowledge over the abilities of the previous demons that Pride personally killed. Given the large amount of demons killed with different abilities, their powers meshed into pure Demonic Energy.
With this energy, Pride can change shape-shift into anything almost perfectly, even changing/hiding his own energy signature. It is almost perfect because there can still be inaccuracies in the object or person's looks, and Pride wouldn't be able to match a person's personality perfectly. Pride can even partially shape-shift parts of his limbs into anything without having to change his entire body, having gained a near-perfect mastery of this ability during his first trip to Earth.
This demonic energy can also be fired in its pure form, much like a laser, from any part of his body. A concentrated blast could easily pierce through an average human's body as if it were made out of paper. While it can be fired as pure demonic energy, it could also be shaped into a weapon made out of this demonic energy with the same power as a concentrated blast.
Demonic Energy can also drain light, converting it into demonic energy once the drain is complete. However, it is a great difficulty to drain holy light in general, given it would cause a great strain to Pride if he were to do such an act that would leave him exhausted afterwards.
After getting Cylla to accept his deal for power, which ended up horribly for the girl, the demon gained the power of Cylla's sister, which is Chromakinesis. Unlike Cylla's color-less ability, Pride's ability grants him full control over color itself, both taking and producing colors for his own gain. Although, it allows Pride to utilize colors as a form of camouflage, warping the colors around him as a form of invisibility. He can also pick a color and increase its brightness to create a flash of a color that can temporarily blind a person for a few seconds.
He can also drain colors in order to increase his own power, and he can take away the colors of others that'll leave them in a dull gray. Unlike Cylla, this part of Pride's ability isn't passive. This can leave an individual lacking in motivation along with the drained areas feeling fragile and weak. If Pride were to take away someone's color by force, it would cause a painful burning sensation on the person as the color is drained out of their body. Attempting to absorb more than one color at a time can hurt Pride, losing his own color if he still keeps more than one color to power himself up for more than a minute.
Pride's most prominent ability that he gained on his own as part of his Self-Assurance is his ability to create a Contract. These contracts or deals that Pride makes are in effect when an individual accepts the terms of the deal and shakes the demon's hand. These deals can range from anything, given that it highly depends on what the individuals desire from the demon and vice versa. As such, these contracts may end up bending reality itself in order to successfully fulfill them, given that Pride has to fulfill his end of the deal first in order to get his part of the deal. However, Contracts is unable to affect concepts. This means that he wouldn't be able to change space, time, and other concepts. As such, Pride is unable to bring back anyone from the death as well.
If a contract is done that ends up "stealing" a person's power for Pride's gain, it doesn't actually steal the power. Given that Contracts is part of Pride's Self-Assurance ability, it also has its limits because of it. Given that Pride has never gained any ability to steal other's powers, he can't actually steal anyone's power even with a reality bending contract. Instead, Pride just gains the knowledge to perform the ability instead, since he technically had the power with him all along. As for what happens to the individual's ability, it is entirely dependent on how Pride's contract is set up. They may end up losing their power entirely, they could end up with their powers out of control from losing the knowledge of their own power, or nothing may happen to them at all.
== Trivia ==
* Altum is Latin for "High" while Superbia is latin for "Pride." Together, the words form into "High Pride."
* Pride's current rank is SSS. If he brings out all of his 10 clones, Pride would be A rank.
Category:Demon
Category:Male
Category:Character
Category:Supernatural
Category:Antagonist
Category:Cardinal Sin