Demon Clan

The Demon Clan is one of the five major races in the world of Nanatsu no Taizai.

Overview
Three thousand years ago, the Demon Clan waged a great war against the Goddess Clan, who had allied with the Giant Clan, Fairy Clan, and humans. They were ultimately defeated by the allied clans and sealed away in the Coffin of Eternal Darkness for many years. However, in spite of their fate, a few demons managed to escape from or avoid the seal completely, namely the Red Demon, Gray Demon and Fraudrin. Fraudrin would spend the last three thousand years trying to find a way to break the seal and to resurrect his clan, so they could take over the land of Britannia.

Nine members of the Demon Clan, namely the Ten Commandments known to be a group of elite warriors handpicked by the Demon King himself, are eventually resurrected when Hendrickson manages to break the seal in present day. Their biggest threat on their way to conquer the country once more turns out to be a member of their own race; Meliodas, the former leader of the Ten Commandments prior to the Great War and the Demon King's oldest son.

However, after organizing a fighting festival to lure Meliodas into a trap, the Ten Commandments manage to kill him and begin the conquest of Britannia in the following month, taking the soul of every human they come across in order to regain their strength.

However, when the Ten Commandments tries to conquer the kingdom of Liones, they are stopped by the group formed with the goal of destroy them, the Seven Deadly Sins, as well as Meliodas, who has revived thanks to the curse that the Demon King put on him.

The remaining members of the Ten Commandments, Zeldris and Estarossa, took refuge in their established base in the kingdom of Camelot, where they sacrificed human souls in order to completely break the seal and liberate the entire Demon Clan. Eventually, the fearsome Cusack and Chandler joins them, as did Meliodas, who had decided to become the new Demon King to break the curse on him and Elizabeth.

When the Four Archangels of the Goddess Clan revive to join humans against them, the Demon Clan faces a new Holy War.

Appearance
Many of the Demon Clan have monstrous appearances. There are several known types, each with its own appearance, identified by colors, such as Red Demons or Gray Demons. However, at least some demons do not fall into these categories, namely the Ten Commandments and Meliodas. Several of them appear human. Human-like demons can be distinguished by their pitch black eyes. Some demons also have black markings on their face. The marks vary from demon to demon. Because of it's many uses, many demons find it convenient to keep their bodies or weapons, to various degrees, cloaked in darkness constantly. Demons that do such include members of the Ten Commandments Derieri, Grayroad, Melascula, and Monspeet, as well as high-ranking demon Cusack.

Physiology
Demons, unlike humans, have more than one heart. The removal or destruction of a single heart does not incur death, although it is painful. The number of hearts varies, although upper-level demons like Meliodas have seven hearts. Destroying all their hearts, regardless of their strength, will kill them.

Drinking the blood of a demon may give non-demons enhanced strength and magical power, if they are compatible. If they are not, they will explode. Demonic blood may naturally or forcibly turn the drinker into a demon themselves, a process that can be reversed either by removing their demonic plant or through the power of the goddesses.

Powers and Abilities
The Demon Clan is an extremely powerful race, requiring the cooperation of the goddesses, fairies, giants, and humans to seal them. Many demons consider themselves above those of other races, especially humans. Even lower ranked demons such as a Red Demon are far more powerful than the average holy knight. Higher ranked clan members such as Gloxinia and Monspeet are shown to be able to command the lower ranked demons into doing their bidding. According to Chandler, a demon's power is at least two-fold greater at night.

Members of the Demon Clan share several common abilities:


 * Power of Darkness: Demons can create and manipulate a mysterious dark substance to enhance both their offensive and defensive abilities. It has been shown to form various weapons and to protect them from attacks that would otherwise cause serious injury. It can also be morphed into various shapes.


 * Enhanced Regeneration: They can use their darkness to piece together an injured demon's body and mend grave wounds, but unable to regenerate destroyed hearts and any damage sustained accumulates unless you are something like an immortal.


 * Flight: They may also use their own darkness to form wings, helicopter like blades, or simply for levitation, allowing them to fly.


 * A powerful, dark flame that is capable of negating regenerative abilities and even scarring an immortal. It can be invoked in the form of an enchantment.


 * Soul Stealing: Demons are capable of forcing the souls of living creatures, even other demons, out of their bodies, either by chanting an ancient spell to do so in mass or by simply touching the person whose soul they wish to take. Eating these souls allows them to replenish their magic and also gives them access to the person's memories, but will cause that soul to die.


 * Indura Transformation: A secret, taboo skill, only known to and allowed for a few of the highest ranked demons, such as the Ten Commandments. The user makes a contract by sacrificing six of their seven hearts, their original form, and ability to reason in exchange for great power. It can only be performed by upper-level demons, and one must have a power level of greater than 50,000 in order to perform the technique without dying. Once transformed, the Indura will not stop until every last bit of its life force has been used up.