Devil

Lilith, the First Cardinal Devil

## Origin

### Origin

Beings originated from the Abrahamic Underworld, consisting of the High-class clans of the 72 Pillars and Extra Demons. They are the servants of the Archdaemon and enemies of the Angels and Fallen Angels

The **Devils** are one of the Three Factions of the Abrahamic Pantheon, alongside the Angels and Fallen Angels. They are the natural inhabitants of the Abrahamic Underworld, but following the Great Divide in the later years of the Great War, the majority of the race now reside in Gehenna, also known as the **Netherworld**.

## Summary

Devils are beings that originated from the Abrahamic Underworld, also known as **Sheol** or **Hell**, as the creations of the Archdaemon to serve as their servants and soldiers in their continuous battles against the forces of the Heavenly Host and the Grigori. They are consisted of the 72 Pillars of High-class Devil noble clans, the Extra Demons, and the countless armies of Middle-class and Low-class Devils under them.

It is unknown how exactly the Devil race came into existence, as neither the Cardinal Devils nor the Archdaemon chose to explain their origins, though it is widely believed that the entire race was descended from the Devil Lilith, the first Cardinal Devil who was created by Ayin herself as a mockery against the primordial human woman Eve.

Following the end of the Great War, the offsprings and descendants of the Seven Great Satans, apart from Rizevim, wanted to continue the Great War but were faced with opposition by other Devils, most prominently the Bael Clan, who assumed authority as the Devils' de-facto leader after the end of the Great War and the other Archdaemon having gone into retirement.

This started a civil war between the Devils with the descendants of the original Satans losing the war and a new government was formed amongst the Devils. The new government then appoints four new Satans through their strength and accomplishments in the civil war.

After the formation of the new Devil government, Ajuka Beelzebub developed the Evil Pieces System to help replenish the decreased armies of the Devils, eventually creating the Rating Games.

## Appearance

Most Pure-blooded Devils look the same as humans, albeit with one pair of black bat-like wings that can be hidden at will. However, certain clans possess unique wing-types, such as the Phenex Clan with fiery-feathered wings and certain members of the Sitri Clan have griffin wings. They are able to use their demonic power to appear much younger than their physical age, for example Venelana looks as if she were the same age as her youngest child, Rias.

There are some Devils who appear to have the characteristics of creatures and monsters such as members of the Vepar Clan being merpeople-like Devils, members of the Forneus Clan have their true appearance being fish-people, Zephyrdor has pointy elf-like ears, and Roygun has two horns on her head.

Some Pure-blooded Devils have multiple pairs of wings, however, unlike Angels and Fallen Angels who can gain multiple wings over time as representation of their growth in terms of power, this trait is limited to those who descended from the original Archdaemon; such as Vali Lucifer, a Cambion, revealing his relation to the Satan Lucifer by revealing his four pairs of wings. Rizevim Livan Lucifer had shown to have twelve bat-like wings, as well as Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan, and Ingvild Leviathan who has four pairs of wings.

Reincarnated Devils can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, such as the case with Tannin (a former Dragon), Koneko Toujou (a Nekomata), and Enku (a Qilin).

## Abilities

All Devils have enhanced physical abilities such as superhuman strength, endurance, and enhanced senses, such as sight and hearing; in addition to being able to see clearly in the dark as creatures of the night. They are able to fly through using their bat-like wings, which are capable of retracting into their backs as if disappearing entirely, though many ancient Devils have demonstrated the ability to fly without using either wings and magical power. They are also immuned to being sunburned.

They possess a passive power of Omnilingualism, which allows them to speak or communicate in any known language, dialect, and even those of alien origins, as long as this language could be spoken using a human's vocal cord. However, this power only translates to speaking and hearing these languages, but couldn't write or read them.

Devils possess an exceptionally long lifespan, roughly estimated to be around 10,000 years, with the Cardinal Devils having virtually infinite lifespan and the Archdaemon have a lifespan that "can only be counted by infinity and bound by eternity". Because of this, 1000 years old is considered to be the age of adulthood for Pure-blooded Devils, while the Reincarnated Devils and commoners are deemed of age when they reached 18 years old.

Devils wield demonic power, which let them control numerous supernatural phenomena and create various elements ranging from fire, water, and lightning. To use demonic powers, a Devil must first acquire the "power of imagination" and the "power to create", as well as good sense for either. Those who have higher demonic power are able to develop resilience against holy-based objects and weapons artificially created, whereas those with lesser will be eliminated.

Members of the 72 Pillars, which consist of Pure-blooded Devils appear to inherit special innate abilities unique to their clan, though occasionally the children of the members who married out of the clan into another one would also inherit their abilities, becoming a common practice amongst the remaining pillars. All the Pure-blooded Devils who don't inherit such powers are looked down upon, even by members of their own family.

Devils also have the ability to cast demonic power spells, not limited to those in which their family specialized. Examples being the ability to bind and later summon a familiar, as well as Issei's Dress Break and Pailingual spells. The most common usage would likely be the magic circle used by Devils for travel, and especially to make contracts.
High-class Devils are able to gain peerages, rule over other Devils depending on their family's rank and powers, and can have up to 15 "servants", which are represented by each piece in a chess game (Rook, Knight, Pawn, etc.). The High-class Devil takes the position of "King". Lower-class Devils are often looked down upon, and usually, serve a Devil of higher authority. High-class Devils also have the ability to reincarnate humans and other races into Devils through the Evil Pieces system, as seen with what Rias did with Issei and Asia Argento.

## Weaknesses

A common weakness for all Devils regardless of status and ranking is that they cannot go near/get involved with anything that has to do with the God, as they will suffer nasty side effects (headaches, immense pain, etc.), as seen when Issei couldn't go near the Church when he was talking to Asia, or when he tried to pray but only ended up collapsing from the pain soon after.

They are vulnerable to the holy element and those imbued with it, such as holy scriptures and religious symbols, and can get killed easily by Holy Weapons and Sacred Gears with divine properties, such as Blade Blacksmith and the True Longinus (Asia' Twilight Healing, however, is a notable exception). Despite popular belief, while religious artifacts belonged to the Abrahamic religions had the best effects when fighting against Devils, objects considered holy in other religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism also have similar effects on them, albeit much weaker.

These effects are caused by the Holy Miracle System put in place by God, which is being kept up by the remaining Celestial Princes after He entered His lamentation period, and only they have the authority and power to make exception to the rules and change the system.

They are also susceptible to light, which significantly drains them of their energy once hit, with most Low-class Reincarnated Devils being reduced to normal human levels when directly hit by natural sunlight. Intense light, such as the light constructs created by the Angels and Fallen Angels and the light swords used by exorcists can severely wound, if not outright kill, a Devil. Powerful Devils with higher level of demonic power, however, can develop a certain degree of resistance to light.

Despite having great immunity toward many human poisons and diseases, Devils have little to no resistance toward curses, poisons, and diseases of angelic and demonic origins.

## Types of Devils

* **Archdaemon** (大魔王, *Dai Maō*) are the original Fallen Angels who fell alongside Lucifer during the Heavenly War. They are the rulers of all Devils and demonic creatures, as well as their original creators. The majority of the Archdaemon are sealed within the Abrahamic Underworld following the Great Divide, while the escaped few reconstructed the first layer that was detached from the primordial realm into the Netherworld of today.

* **Cardinal Devils** (枢機卿の悪魔, *Sūkikyō no Akuma*) are the Devils created by Lilith and the progenitors of many Pure-blooded Devil clans, with the most notable ones being the original 72 Pillars and the Extra Demons. They served as the Archdaemon's concubines and lieutenants during the Great War, leading many legions of Lesser-classes Devils into the battle. The majority of them are part of the Great King Faction.

* **Pure-Blooded Devils** (純血悪魔, *Junketsu Akuma*) are the children and descendants of the Cardinal Devils and the Devils created using the power of Lilith. They mainly belonged to the 72 Pillars and the Extra Demons. They are aristocrats who are born into nobility of one of the various Devils clans, each which has its own domain in the Netherworld. Each clan of Pure-Blooded Devils has a unique ability that is specific to their clan, such as the Bael Clan's Power of Destruction or Phenex's Daemon Phoenix, as the descendants of the clans are born with such unique abilities which occasionally get passed to other clans as Pure-Blooded Devils interbreed with each other.

* **Reincarnated Devils** (転生悪魔, *Tensei Akuma*) are created by High-class Devils using Evil Pieces to reincarnate other species into Devils; who serve the High-class Devil who is their King.

* + **Stray Devils** (はぐれ悪魔, *Hagure Akuma*) are Reincarnated Devils who have diverted away from their Kings for their own desires. Without their masters to help them control their unnatural nature, they got corrupted by their own demonic power and became mutated monstrous beasts that required to be eliminated immediately. The Devils take this case very seriously, and any Devil who becomes a Stray will usually be killed on the spot.

* **Mixed-Heritage Devils** (混合遺産悪魔, *Kongō Isan Akuma*) are Devils either born between a Pure-blooded Devil and a Reincarnated Devil, or between two Reincarnated Devils. They could not be considered as Cambion due to both their parents being Devils, and are not considered Pure-blooded Devils due to their diluted blood as High-class Devils look down on Reincarnated Devils.

* **Cambion** (半悪魔カンビオン, *Kanbion*), also known as **Half-Devils**, are Devils of mixed heritage created by the interbreeding of Devils and other species, most notably humans. Due to the Pure-blooded Devils' pride and their obsession with pureblood purity, the half-Devil descendants of the Pure-blooded Devil clans are often scorned and looked down upon.

* **Super Devil** (超越悪魔ちょうえつ・デビル, *Chōetsu Debiru*), also known as **Transcendental Devils**, are Devils who are considered irregular beings due to possessing power that reaches the primordial gods and are close in power to the Cardinal Devils of old. Originally, there were three people who were publicly acknowledged as Super Devils: Sirzechs Lucifer, Ajuka Beelzebub, and Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Following the Evil Dragon War, due to their continuous and abnormal growth, the current Heavenly Dragons; Hyoudou Issei and Vali Lucifer, were nominated as Super Devil candidates. After the Hell Disaster, the two of them were officially certified as Transcendental Devils after being approval by Zekram Bael.

* **Infernal Knights** (地獄の騎士, *Jingoku no Kishi*) are Devils created by the Archdaemon to be their rule-keepers, enforcers, and executioners. They are immensely powerful beings, said to be on Super Devil-level of power, and each could call forth hords of infernal spirits to fight with them on the battlefield. They are higher than all Cardinal Devils on the infernal hierarchy, with the exception of Lilith, and hold immense authority over the Devil-kind. The leader of Infernal Knight is Abel - The first Infernal Knight and the second-born son of Adam and Eve from Abrahamic Mythology.

## Population

The original population of Devils consisted of the Archdaemon and the Cardinal Devils created from the body of the Mother of Devils; Lilith, consisted of consorts and concubines of the Archdaemon who later became the progenitors of the 72 Pillars, Extra Demon clans, as well as the numerous commoner Devils who lived in the territories of the High-class Devil families.

During the Great War, many Devil clans were destroyed in the conflict as numerous High-class Devils of the 72 Pillars were killed along with their soldiers, with 39 out of 72 Pillars droven to extinction in the conflict. It is noted that despite Devils having exceptionally long lifespans, they can't reproduce easily as the rate of pregnancy amongst Devils is very low, sometimes requiring the would-be-parents centuries and multiple rituals to produce a single child as having more than 2 children is considered rare amongst Devils.

Due to the excessive loss of population, the Evil Pieces system was created to replenish the number of Devil by reincarnating other species into Devils, with humans being the most common choice among the species. In recent times, many High-class Devil have started reincarnating humans who possess Sacred Gears as their Devil servants in order to obtain the strength of the Sacred Gears in service of the Devils.

As a result of the low population, it is common for High-Class Devils, regardless of gender, to have harems of multiple people in order to have a greater chance of producing children.

## Ranking

The Devils use a hierarchical system that is split into four different ranks. The ranking here refers to the hereditary title given to Devils base on their classes and clans and reflect on strength. They are:

 **Low Class Devils** | The weakest class who are usually Reincarnated Devils or are just commoners. They are a part of a High-Class Devil's peerage and serve one of the higher class. Low-Class Devils can promote themselves to higher rankings depending on their performance.

There are three different ways to raise one's ranking:

 **3. Rating Game** | The last method is by doing well in Rating Games. This includes earning high points, public esteem, and opinion in official Rating Games. This is the modern path of ascent in Devil society, as it was designed to promote and train new powerful Devils. The Rating Game allows reincarnated Devils to hone and show off their skill and abilities against others in a controlled non-lethal environment. Performing well in the Rating Game raises reputation and leads to promotion. Some of the Top Rankers in the Rating Games have all reached Ultimate-class.

Once a Low-class Devil has earned the right to raise their ranking, they must first be tested before actually gaining the position. Not everyone succeeds in these tests, but they can try as many times as they choose, as the permission does not normally expire. The Middle-class promotion test has three parts that are modeled after the tests on Earth since a majority of Devils who taking the promotion tests are Reincarnated Devils (formerly humans). The first part is a written report that addresses the theme of aim and ambitions. The second part is a written test involving the history and government of the Netherworld. The third is a practical where an individual faces off against another participant from the test in a one-on-one fight.

During this battle, Pawns are given special permission that allows them to promote themselves as if they were in enemy territory. High-class Devils and above are allowed to have their own "peerage" which consists of members who represent each piece in a game of chess while for Reincarnated Devils that have reached Ultimate-class, they will receive the right to choose a part of the Netherworld as their territory.

There is no actual conflict when a Low-class Devil starts his own group while still being a part of another peerage after becoming High-class. When a Devil reaches High-class, they receive a set of Evil Pieces to start their own group. However, even after going independent, Devils are still obliged to fight as underlings whenever their master has a Rating Game, for example, Issei still has to fight as Rias' Pawn if she ever has a Rating Game despite commanding his own peerage.

### High-Class Devil Promotion Ceremony

When a Devil goes to their High-Class Promotion Ceremony at the ceremonial hall, that Devil and those with them are escorted in limousines under strict guard. Several security cars surround the limousines meaning the Devil becoming a High-class Devil is treated like a VIP.

At the ceremony itself, the Devil getting promoted stands in front of an altar (a Reincarnated Devil stands with their King) and the Satan in charge reads what is written on their certificate which states the reasons for their promotion. The Satan proclaims them as a High-Class Devil and they kneel down on one knee to receive their certificate with words of acceptance. They display their certificate to the audience to which they applaud. Next comes the crowning ritual. For a Reincarnated Devil, they face their master at the altar, get down on one knee, and their master places a crown upon their head with another round of applause meaning the ritual is complete.

For the final part, the Satan stands on the altar once again summoning a stone monument that shines in black which floats in the air. The monument is made from the same material as the Evil Pieces. The Devil getting promoted envelopes their hand in their aura and touches the monument. Their heart instantly makes a large beat and the monument shines crimson, showing their handprint for a moment and then the monument returns to normal.

Their registration as a King is complete and they are handed a small box containing their 15 Evil Pieces for making their own peerage. As such, the ritual is done with the most crucial part of the ceremony. What comes after this is the words of congratulation from the guest which is read by the host of the ceremony and after the newly promoted High-class Devil leaves the ceremonial hall, the ceremony is over.

## Factions

### Seven Great Satans

The **Seven Great Satans** (七大悪魔, *Nana Maō*) are the four rulers who control the Netherworld. The current Satans are not the actual ones but were chosen to replace the previous rulers of the Devil-kind after the Devil Civil War, and each was named after the seven original Satans: Lucifer, Beelzebub, Leviathan, Asmodeus, Mammon, Belphegor and Satan. Therefore, the names "Lucifer" and "Satan" are not personal names, but are more like managerial positions.

### 72 Pillars

The **72 Pillars** (72柱, *Nanajūni Hashira*) are a list of the 72 families of Pure-blooded Devils (known as Pure Devils). Each clan possessing dozens of legions of lesser-classes Devils under them. After the Great War, however, every clan lost a majority of their armies and over half of clans from the 72 Pillars even faced extinction, with only 33 clans remaining (in reality, there are more than 33 houses that are still active but have lost some of their statuses in the 72 Pillars due to having mixed heritage).

### Extra Demons

**Extra Demons** (番外の悪魔エキストラ・デーモン, *Ekisutora Dēmon*) are the houses of top-class Devils who are not a part of the 72 Pillars. Currently, most of the Extra Demons have secluded themselves from the current Devil society, not wanting to involve themselves with the government.

Devils from the Extra Demons who involve themselves with the current Devil Government will have to break all ties with their households such as with the case of Kuisha Abaddon, Bedeze Abaddon (the 3rd ranking champion in the Rating Games) and Roygun Belphegor (the 2nd ranking champion in the Rating Games).

A majority of the Extra Demons serve under one of original Satans, such as the Branch House of Lucifuge, Satanachia, Agaliarept, Fleurety, Sargatanas, and Nebiros serving the Satan, Lucifer.

## Trivia

* It is considered something of a rite of passage for a young up-and-coming Devil to make a pact with a Magician. Young Devils are warned to choose carefully when making such a pact as, if they choose the wrong magician, it will reflect poorly on the Devil.
* Similar to Dragons, Devils have particular illnesses that affects their species.
	+ Their Devil Fever similar to humans give them the natural fever, in addition to them unable to use their demonic powers and sixth sense.
	+ It is said that High-class Devils with strong demonic power rarely catch a cold, but can catch it if they are tormented by anxiety and lose their physical strength.
	+ Devils can be afflicted with a unique illness called the Elphegort Sleep; a disease that causes one to fall asleep and will cause the afflicted to grow weaker and soon die if they aren't hooked up to a life-support machine. The disease is almost incurable, with it being able to last even 100 years.
* A Devil can have their familiars hand out fliers instead of doing it themselves for Devil's jobs, such as when Rias sent out her familiar to give Issei a flier.
* The Japanese term for Devil (悪魔, *Akuma*) is a bit of misnomer: the word 悪 (aku) means evil, cruel... However, not all Devils are cruel and evil as the term stated. It could be assumed that the word 悪魔 is mostly used for reference or academic purposes.