Creed Diskenth

Creed Diskenth (クリード ディスケンス Kurīdo Disukensu) is the former leader of the Apostles of the Stars and a former member of Chronos. He is the main antagonist of the manga and most of the anime, Black Cat.

Appearance
In the beginning, Creed has his hair slicked back, and wears a white jacket, as well as pants, and on occasion a "glamorous" leopard spotted shirt. His eyes are a lavender hue, while his hair is a remote silver white. Later, Creed has longer, white hair, parted down the middle and his bangs framing his face. He also wears a choker, as well as a fur-lined, black trench that billows in length behind him when he walks, with an intricate interlace at the front with no undershirt. His skin is pale and almost dead looking. Creed has very good vision. 20/4 in both eyes (4.5 in Japanese measurements)

Personality
"In a battle, there is no such word as under-handed" - Creed Diskenth

Creed is a bloodthirsty murderer who kills as naturally as he breathes and enjoys violence. He will slay even his own followers without hesitation, be it because they disobeyed him or simply ceased to please him. The suffering he endured as a child leads him to hate the entire world, but he doesn't truly seek revenge; he simply hates and kills.

Creed is also a megalomaniac and deeply narcissistic. He cares about nothing but himself and considers himself to be superior to everyone in every way. As such, he wants to become immortal in order to remain perfect forever. Creed feels that he is the only one right in the world and is convinced that those who disagree with him simply don't understand the truth, and he never hesitates to eliminate any dissenting opinions. When things don't go the way he wants, he fabricates absurd explanations that follow his way, instead of questioning himself. This delusion is so strong that he doesn't understand why people such as Train hold a grudge against him. Nothing infuriates him more than a persistent opposition. However, deep down in his heart, he knows when he cannot bend a will to his own, and this only infuriates him more.

Creed is obsessed with talent. He regards regular people as mere trash. He despises people who have done nothing to deserve political influence that they take for granted even more. Creed wants a world where only gifted people who obey him can live and plans to select them one by one, killing anyone that he deems unworthy. To put it simply, he wants the entire world to revolve around him and to fit his demented ideas of perfection. He doesn't just care about fighting skills, however, and he considers any talent worthwhile in its own right. Still, he regards his followers as mere pawns, and though he values their strength and listens to their advice, he rarely considers their objections.

Train Heartnet is the only person who Creed truly respects. His dearest wish is to have Train rule the world by his side. Back when they were partners, he was not only fascinated by Train's astonishing power but also by his hatred of the entire world which mirrored Creed's own. Creed felt that Train was exactly like him, and was the only one who could understand him. But unfortunately for Creed, this wasn't Train's true personality, but rather a shell that he built during all those years of loneliness. A shell that Saya Minatsuki would break, much to Creed's dismay. Creed is convinced that Train's true persona is that of a ruthless killer, and he would stop at nothing to restore it even though there is no hope from the start.

Despite all this, Creed is a very charismatic and refined person. He enjoys luxury and he lives in opulent manors and castles. When he interacts with people he deems worthy, even if they are enemies, he acts with smiling and courteous manners. Creed is also clever and knowledgeable; he knows what he needs and how to get it. He rarely underestimates his opponents, only making his move when he has all the cards in his hand or when he has at least one backup plan. Yet, when confronted with an opponent he admires, he may reveal his weaknesses to make things more interesting.

History
Creed was born as the undesired son of a single, alcoholic mother who intensely abused him. She constantly insulted him, hit him and blamed him for everything wrong in her life. He later ended up living in the streets, picking "food" from bins and being beaten down without reason by policemen. This abuse drove Creed to insanity and gave him a fierce hatred towards the entire world. In the anime, he murdered his mother, presumably by stabbing her to death with a knife, though this seems less likely in the manga. In the anime, he is also shown lashing out at the policemen who attacked him with a broken flower vase.

Sometime later, Creed was taken into the ranks of Chronos, a secret organization that controls one-third of the world's economy and politics from the shadows. There, he was trained to become one of Chronos' countless erasers (assassins). Over the years, Creed developed his swordplay beyond a normal human's level and became one of Chronos' top-class erasers. The Elders of Chronos even considered making him the thirteenth member of the Chronos Numbers, the organization's elite brigade of assassins unmatched by any other and skilled in the use of a specific weapon. However, Creed's blood-lust, insanity, and desire for power were deemed too dangerous and Creed was passed over in favor of Train.

The Elders partnered Creed with Train Heartnet, the world's best gunfighter and the other candidate for becoming a Chronos Number. In these times Train hated the entire world and trusted none but himself, looking only for power. This state of mind coupled with Train's supreme fighting skills made a very strong impression on Creed, who came to regard him as his equal both in term of strength and hatred, despite Train not caring about him in the slightest. They teamed up for about a month before Train was appointed as Chronos Number XIII.

over the course of three years, Train became known worldwide as the "Black Cat" and gained a reputation as the best gunman in the world and feared by many. This fueled Creed's fascination for his former partner. Meanwhile, the demented swordsman kept working as Chronos' best (regular) eraser. However, Creed utterly despised Chronos' leaders. At some point, he killed the Chronos Number X, Ash, whom he disliked. He then defected from Chronos and went into hiding.

Two years ago, Creed came into the town where Train lived. There, he found out that Train had befriended a bounty hunter, or sweeper, named Saya Minatsuki. The lively young woman was teaching him how to enjoy life. Creed was extremely displeased by this. He called Saya a "witch" who "made Train weak." Thus, Creed resolved to "lift the spell" by killing Saya and attacked her one night. Saya fought Creed, but she got distracted by three children who Creed attempted to kill. Saya saved the children at the cost of her life and managed to break the blade of Creed's katana, Kotetsu. The train eventually arrived but was too late to save Saya. Creed fled, telling Train that one day he would realize that he killed Saya to save him.

After Saya's death, Creed got in touch with two Tao Masters from the faraway continent of Yamto. These Taoists named, Shiki and Maro, wanted to overthrow Chronos‒due to Chronos wiping out their clan twenty-five years prior‒and chose Creed as their leader, granting him the power of Tao. Creed and his newfound allies spent the next two years recruiting Tao-wielding followers from all over the world, building a secret organization of their own, which they called the Apostles of the Stars.

Eve Arc
Creed's name is revealed when Train and his sweeper partner Sven Vollfield defeat the arms dealer Torneo Rudman and save Eve. Upon hearing Creed's name, Train gets overcome with fury and orders Torneo to tell everything about him. Torneo appears to be one the sponsors of Creed's group, the "Apostles of the Star," and he shared with him the results of his experiments with nanomachines. Later, Creed and Shiki have Torneo killed.

Lunafort Arc
Creed then abducts Rinslet Walker, a famous thief for hire and a recent acquaintance of Train, while Shiki tells Train that Creed will await him at the Lunafort Tower with a hostage who will get killed if he doesn't show up. Enraged, Train goes to the meeting, intending to kill Creed in order to avenge his late friend Saya. Train is greeted by Creed, who tells him that he spent the last two years building a group of Tao users whose power rivals that of the Chronos Numbers themselves. Creed explains that he plans to take down Chronos and rule the world, and he wants Train to join his group. Trains responds by demanding a one-on-one fight. Creed accepts on the condition that if he were to win, Train would join the Apostles of the Star. Creed then uses his Imagine Blade, the hilt of the sword Saya broke with a Tao-forged, invisible blade to drive Train into a corner. Train ultimately sacrifices his right hand to shoot Creed with an explosive bullet.

Creed is saved by Shiki and orders Doctor, one of his followers with the ability to heal wounds, to find Train and to reattach his severed right hand. Doctor later injects Creed with healing nanomachines and puts him into a medically-induced coma. Creed is seen again at the end of volume 3, though he is not yet fully healed.

Revolution Arc
Sometime later, Creed, who has now recovered, calls all his followers in order to declare war on the entire world.

The Apostles of the Star go to San Geles City for the World Conference, an international meeting that gathers twenty of the most powerful state leaders, with seven of Chronos' highest-ranking executives among them. The Apostles slaughter anyone, from the soldiers to the politicians, before taking their leave. Upon hearing of this, the Elders of Chronos order the Chronos Numbers to make the annihilation of the Apostles of the Star their absolute priority. Then, the Chronos Numbers I and II, Sephiria Arks and Belze Rochefort pay Train, Sven, and Eve a visit, informing them that Chronos has labeled Creed as a Double S class criminal and put a 3 billion yen bounty on his head. Surprisingly, however, Train seems to have come to terms with his past, and while he is still determined to defeat Creed by his own hand, he is no longer interested in rushing after him. Meanwhile, Creed and his group travel around the world, destroying several of Chronos' sub-organizations.

The Mad Gunman Arc
Shortly after the Numbers visit, Train defeats Durham, a crazed gunfighter, member of the Apostles of the Stars, who wants to prove that he is the world's strongest gunman. Irked by his insubordination and by his desire to kill Train, Creed later kills Durham, which prompts Charden, one of the Apostles, to doubt Creed's motives.

Cerberus Arc
The Apostles of the Star are hiding in a castle in the mountains, near the city of Stock Town. Many bounty hunters manage to track him down, but none of them come anywhere near catching him. Those who aren't killed serve as guinea pigs for Doctor's experiment on nanomachines. Sephiria Arks then sends the group Cerberus, consisting of the Numbers V, VII, and XI, to eliminate him and uses Rinslet Walker as bait. Creed has Rinslet brought into his castle. The Numbers then follow her and storm into the castle. Creed greets them, holding Rinslet hostage and forces them to fight a brainwashed bounty hunter, who Doctor transformed into a werewolf-like beast, thanks to special nanomachines dubbed "Lucifer." The numbers manage to kill the werewolf and then engage Creed, who is assisted by several Apostles.

After a little while, Train enters the castle and joins the fight, "guided" by the Chronos Number X. Overjoyed, Creed believes that Train has come to join his side but Train answers by shooting him. After a few shots, Train grabs Rinslets and departs, stating that he doesn't have anything to do with the conflict between the Apostles of the Star and Chronos. Distraught, Creed evolved his Imagine Blade to Level Two and uses it against the assembled Chronos Numbers while the Apostles evacuate the castle before it is demolished. Creed gets rescued by Echidna Parass, an Apostle of the Star who can travel through space, but his left arm is severed in the fight. The castle explodes and Creed and Echidna take shelter in the house of a doctor Creed later kills.

Lucifer Arc
The following day, Creed finds Train's whereabouts. He convinces himself that if he kills Train's partners, Train would lose what makes him a bounty hunter and would then join his side. Creed and Echidna set a trap to drag Sven and Eve into a church, where Creed attacks Sven and tries to talk Eve into joining the Apostles of the Star. Creed then changes his mind and decides to turn Sven into a monster by shooting him with a bullet full of "Lucifer" nanomachines. Train comes in at the last second and blocks the bullet with his arm before punching Creed in the face. Creed ultimately departs with Echidna, and Train is later turned into a child by the nanomachines.

Train, Sven and Eve go to find the world's greatest nano technician, Dr. Tearju Lunatique, the scientist who created Eve using her own DNA, in hopes that she would be able to reverse Train's transformation. Meanwhile, the Apostles of the Star contact Dr. Tearju and ask her to create nanomachines that would make Creed immortal. She ultimately rejects the Apostle's offer and helps Train revert the transformation caused by the Lucifer nanomachines. The Apostles attack her home, but Train fights them off with the Rail Gun (an electricity-powered gun able to fire extremely fast and devastating bullets) ability he gained after returning to normal. However, Eathes copied Tearju and gained her knowledge, rendering Tearju's cooperation unnecessary.

Alliance Arc
Later, the Chronos Numbers, who discovered the Apostles of the Stars' main hideout on Clarken Island, have Number X use a false identity to recruit many powerful bounty hunters, Train, Sven and Eve among them. The Numbers plan to send the newly-formed Sweeper's Alliance to Clarken Island in order to distract the Apostles of the Star, while Sephiria Arks would sneak into Creed's manor and engage in a one-on-one fight against Creed.

On Clarken Island, Train and his friends manage to take down almost every Apostle one by one, but every other sweeper ends up forced to withdraw at one point or another. Upon entering Creed' manor, Train and his friends meet the villain in person, who wants to speak to Train. Creed asks Train if he has come to avenge Saya as he had planned to do last time, but Train tells him that he is here to capture him as a sweeper. Horrified, Creed laments that Train was "totally swallowed by that witch's spell." Creed then departs, telling Train that he'd rather see him dead than see him the way he is now.

Creed orders his remaining followers to give everything they have in the fight, hoping that this would turn Train back into a ruthless killer. In the ensuing battles, two of the remaining bounty hunters get brainwashed and two others get severely wounded, leaving only Train, Sven, and Eve able to continue on. While the Chronos Numbers help the wounded sweepers to get out safely, Sephiria manages to reach Creed and challenges him to a fight.

The world's two strongest sword fighters then do battle, but in spite of her superior skills, Sephiria cannot kill Creed. Sephiria deals two lethal wounds, but the demented anarchist recovers in a matter of seconds due to his new "God Bless" nanomachines that makes him immortal. (The "God Bless" nanomachines had even allowed him to regrow his left arm.) Creed wounds Sephiria before telling her about his new "godhood" and the only weak point he has left: his brain. Sephiria then unleashes her most devastating attack, Apocalypse, and seemingly reduces Creed to dust. Unfortunately, this near-death experience activates the Imagine Blade Level 3, which Creed uses to escape Apocalypse at the very last second, though he doesn't manage to dodge the attack completely. His arm is turned to dust, but quickly reforms thanks to his nanomachines. He then reverts to the Level 2 and defeats Sephiria, preparing to land the coup de grâce. Unbeknownst to him however, Sephiria wears a explosive bangle which would detonate upon her death in order to complete a mission should she fail.

Meanwhile, Echidna unleashes the The Phantom Star Brigade, a number of Creed's soldiers that were turned into powerful cyborgs using nanomachines. Only Train is allowed to enter Creed's private quarters, while Sven, Eve and the Numbers must fight against the cyborgs. Train arrives just in time to save Sephiria's life, saying that he has "come to deliver bad luck" to Creed. The hour of the final battle has come.

"Degraded as you are, you're still the Black Cat, the only man in this world I respected... That's why I can't forgive you!!" - Creed Diskenth (to Train Heartnet)

Creed starts the fight with his Imagine Blade Level 1. However, Train is now able to detect it by reading Creed's movements and he strikes his enemy with his gun. Creed then recovers, telling Train about his immortality and his weak point. Creed attacks with the Imagine Blade Level 2, determined to kill Train in order to "save his soul." He drives Train into a corner, but the sweeper manages to hit him with Saya's signature technique, the Reflect Shot (ricocheting bullets). Infuriated by this attack and by Train's refusal to kill him, Creed reveals his ultimate form, the Imagine Blade Level 3. Due to his immortality, the sheer strength of his attacks, and Train's weakened state from his previous battles, Creed gains the upper hand. Train then decides to destroy the Imagine Blade, which would shatter Creed's spirit and defeat him without killing him.

Train eventually combines all his remaining electric power with an explosive bullet, in order to create the Burst Rail Gun, the most powerful attack he can muster. Infuriated, Creed calls forth his Imagine Blade at its maximum level and prepares to obliterate him. As the two attack collide, the Imagine Blade ultimately disintegrates, shattering Creed's power and spirit along with it. As they are about to fall from the manor's roof, both Creed and Train are rescued by Leon, a wind-wielding Apostle of the Star, whom Eve defeated and had witnessed the entire fight.

Creed later wakes up, conscious but unable to move, and Eve uses her nanomachines to destroy his "God Bless" ones and revert him back to a mortal state. As he pleas Train to kill him so that he wouldn't be a mere human again and asks him why he doesn't understand his hatred for a world that mistreated them, Train tells him that he must live on as a human and bear the weight of his crimes for the rest of his life, like he himself did. Train then allows Echidna to depart with Creed.

A Carefree Tomorrow
Having been proved wrong by his own logic, Creed ends up confined in a wheelchair in a nearly vegetative state, under Echidna's care. Now that the Apostles of the Star have been disbanded and that Creed is reduced to the state of powerlessness he despised so much, the former terrorist has his entire life left to reflect on his past and his mistakes.

Anime Plot
Creed meets Shiki and Maro when he still is an eraser, and they begin to create the Apostles of the Stars while Train still serves as a Chronos Number. Creed later tries to convince Train to join the Apostles, but Train refuses and they fight. Train break's the blade of Creed's katana, Kotetsu. Once Creed gains the power of Tao, he betrays Chronos uses the Kotetsu‒now the Imagine Blade‒to slay Number X, Ash. He later kills Saya for corrupting Train after Train defects from Chronos.

Sometime after his defection from Chronos, Creed has gained immortality. Creed and Train meet again during the Apostles' attack on the World Conference. Creed broadcasted an "invitation" on national television. Train manages to wound Creed in the stomach when they meet again, but Creed heals immediately thanks to the "God Bless," which are never mentioned.

Each time they meet, Train attacks Creed with the intent of killing him. It is only during the showdown in the castle than Train finally chooses the safety of his friends over his revenge.

Creed spends almost the entire war of Clarken Island playing piano, not caring the slightest about anyone but Train. He later fights against Sephiria and once again defeats thanks to the immortality granted by his nanomachines, but his Imagine Blade Level 2 does all the fighting while he is busy playing the piano. Train later uses the Orichalcum bullet that Sephiria gave him to defeat Creed, and Sephiria helps him by stabbing Creed in the back while Train attacks from the front.

When Creed loses his nanomachines, he apparently recovers his sanity. Creed's crippled state is short-lived and he and Echidna take part in the battle against the Zero Numbers and "Eden." Apparently, the Apostles of the Stars and the Zero Numbers were in contact from the very beginning and worked together. (The Zero Numbers may even have manipulated Creed and the Apostles.)

Creed, who knew about the "Eden" project, manages to sneak into "Eden" alongside Echidna, likely thanks to Echidna's power, as Train and Sven are fighting the leader of the Zero Numbers, Mason Ordrosso. Creed takes over the battle, allowing Train and Sven to go ahead. Creed is later saved when Echidna takes one of Mason's attack for him. After "Eden" and the Zero Numbers are destroyed, Creed is seen living with Echidna in a chalet on a mountain, where he is painting a landscape.

Equipment and Abilities
"There is nobody other than him who is capable of stopping me. The Black Cat of course." - Creed Diskenth

Swordsmanship: Even before being granted the power of Tao, Creed was already a highly skilled warrior with a level matching that of any Chronos Number. (With the exceptions of number I, II and XIII.) His weapon of choice is, "Kotetsu," a katana which he wields with incredible proficiency. Without a doubt, he is one of the world's best sword fighters, second only to Sephiria Arks. He is naturally and extremely fast and agile, able to jump atop a building without effort and fight normally even with a bullet in the leg.

Imagine Blade: When Creed gained the power of Tao, he also gained the regular Ki-based abilities that come with it; namely, to feel people's ki to detect their location in a closed perimeter, and to use his ki to increase his own speed and strength. However, he is never seen using these abilities as he is already fast and strong enough not to need it.

Creed's power is called the Imagine Blade, though it is sometimes translated Phantom Blade. By concentrating his ki on the hilt of his sword, he can create an invisible blade made of solidified ki that can slice through almost anything. This blade is linked to his mind and its full power remains dormant during most of the story. When Creed is submitted to a particularly strong emotion, his blade evolves and gains a new, stronger form. Creed then becomes able to switch between his blade's different forms as he pleases, but he almost always fights with the strongest available.
 * Level 1: in its first form, it is an invisible sword that is able to extend up to eighty meters.


 * Imagine Blade II (Manga).jpgLevel 2: its second form takes the appearance of a living black sword with a mouth that is directly linked with Creed's mind. It is able to extend and be manipulated like a whip at will, and it can bite opponents. The weapon takes the form of a scimitar or something similar like a falchion.


 * Imagine Blade III (Anime).jpgLevel 3: Creed merges the sword with his arm, and another large arm extends from it, which can be used to propel Creed at high speeds. The weapon takes the form of a cleaver blade on his right arm and an arm on the back.


 * Level MAX: in its final form, it creates an extremely large blade made out of light. The weapon takes the form of a huge blade similar to a cleaver.

Regeneration: After obtaining the God's Breath nanomachines, he becomes able to regenerate from any fatal wound in seconds and will remain in his peak physical condition forever. Their only weakness is that they cannot fully restore the brain, which would leave him with only primal instincts.

Aside from his Tao power and his fighting skills, Creed is a capable spy, able to come up with decent disguises and to act with remarkable stealth. Creed knows Chronos' immense network of informants like the back of his hand, and he can use it as well. Moreover, he is a skilled orator who managed to convince many people from different horizons to join his cause, and to enlist the financial help of many wealthy criminals. Due to this financial support (and likely to the fortune of many of his "sponsors" that he killed) Creed has gained considerable wealth which enabled him to purchase many residences all over the world, and to invest huge amounts of money into scientific research in the field of nanotechnology.

Train Heartnet
Train was the only person Creed respected, and admired for his cold, and merciless personality. He also felt that the legendary assassin was the only one on the planet who understood his suffering. He believed that people like him and Train were the only ones allowed to live, so when Saya began influencing Train, Creed was infuriated at the 'witch', and decided to kill her in an attempt to 'release' Train from her spell. This, however, caused Train to resent his ex-partner. After forming the Apostles of the Stars,Creed desperately tried to get the ex-assassin on his side by any means necessary, such as kidnapping Rinslet, and attempting to kill Sven. These attempts would always backfire, and instead, would only increase the hatred Train has for him. It was only during their last battle, that Creed would finally realize that the old Train was long gone, thus, losing all the respect he once had for his former partner.

Saya Minatsuki
Creed despises Saya for changing Train from a merciless Killer to a cheerful sweeper. He viewed the young sweeper as a witch, and murdered her in cold blood in order to 'free' Train from her spell. During his final battle with Train, Creed was enraged when Saya's spirit appeared before him. He angrily yelled at her to leave him and Train alone.

Echidna Parass
Echidna was the only Loyal and trustworthy Apostle to Creed, but he did not pay her that much attention. After his defeat, Echidna takes him to a far away place and cares for him.

The Apostles of the Stars
Despite being their leader, Creed never cared about any of his teammates. According to Charden Flamberg, they were just tools for Creed to use so that he can achieve his goal. He also had no trouble disposing any of them, such as how he mercilessly killed Durham, whom he called a piece of trash. In the anime, when Echidna told him that Leon had been defeated, the madman asked who he was, and continued playing the piano.

Trivia

 * Creed bears a lot of resemblance to the villain of the Compilation Of Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth, they both have white/silver hair, and long bangs that frame their faces, they have both killed the protagonist's of their respective series' first love interest by impaling the victim in the back, both have very long swords, both wear black with no undershirt and both have achieved "godhood" at one point.
 * Creed first appears on the cover of Chapter 2 on a wanted poster.
 * Creed's appearance is also a resemblance to Zastin, one of the characters in To Love Ru.
 * Creed has a necklace he got to match Train's bell. In the anime, it is clear he has Saya's necklace after his appearance change.
 * Creed is very good at the piano.
 * He is one of the few characters to have a chapter named after him. He is also the only one to have a Volume after him.