Sanctus

Sanctus is the holy leader of the Order of the Sword, Vicar of Sparda, and previous general of the Holy Knights. He is the main villain of Devil May Cry 4.

Seeking Power
At some point in his life, Sanctus became determined to rule the world alongside the Order, using demonic power. He sought to create a holy demonic construction called the Savior, which would allow him to dominate the world. However Sanctus needed one with the blood of Sparda to power it and sent out the members of the Order to find Devil Arms that were needed to power Hell Gates so as to draw Dante to Fortuna. Eventually they found Yamato, which could be used to power the true Hell Gate beneath the city. This made Dante show up, crashing through the ceiling of a church, just as Sanctus was delivering a sermon and shot him in the face. However the Order of the Sword revived their leader using the Ascension Ritual, a ritual used to give Order members demonic powers, though this didn't transform Sanctus at first. After Agnus discovered that Nero also possessed demonic blood, Sanctus changed his plans, deciding to use Nero to power the Savior instead. He did this by having Nero's love interest, Kyrie, kidnapped so as to lure him to the demonic creation. When he arrived, Sanctus couldn't convince him to be absorbed into the Savior willingly and overpowered him, absorbing him into the Savior anyway, also taking back Yamato. As he was activating his new creation, Sanctus found himself being attacked by his former warrior, Credo, who was angered that his sister (Kyrie) had been exploited in such a manner. However Sanctus simply impaled him on Yamato and let him fall, though he was caught by Dante. Trish also appeared, who had infiltrated the Order of the Sword as Gloria, though this came at no surprise to Sanctus, who stated that he had known who she really was. He then stated that awakening of the Savior couldn't be stopped and this indeed seemed to be true. They failed to stop the demonic creation from awakening and it flew away with Sanctus.

Initiating the Final Plan
Agnus then proceeded to open the Hell Gate beneath Fortuna, releasing hundreds of demons and causing havoc. The Holy Knights then appeared to "save" the people and soon the Savior appeared, eradicating the demons. Sanctus cried out that the people should not fear his creation and that it will soon deliver them salvation. However Dante managed to destroy the other three Hell Gates and take Yamato from Agnus. He then destroyed the true Hell Gate and confronted Agnus as an Alto Angelo. Dante destroyed this empty puppet and attacked the Savior in an attempt to get at Sanctus, who was inside. Though unable to get inside himself, Dante managed to send Yamato into the creature, allowing Nero to escape his confinement. After fighting his way to the Sacred Heart of the statue, he was confronted by Sanctus in his true demon form, Sanctus-Diabolica. However Nero defeated him and the former holy man demanded to know why Sparda wouldn't give him the power to finish his enemy. Nero told him that even though the dark knight was a demon, he still had a heart and the capability to love another person, something that Sanctus lacked. Nero proceeded to slay him and escape the Savior, though the battle wasn't over yet. The Savior bonded with what remained of Sanctus to become the False Savior in one last attempt to finish off Nero. However this form was much weaker and Nero managed to finish it by crushing its face in the Devil Bringer.

Personality
The most notable aspect of Sanctus's personality is his desire for power, going to great lengths to attain it. He is higly manipulative as well as ruthless and cruel, not caring what methods he has to use to acheive his goals. Sanctus does not care about anyone but himself and thinks of himself quite highly, though he is ironically quite cowardly, since he lets other do his dirty work. He could be considered desparate for victory, as well as somewhat sadistic, since he finds amusement in the idea of Credo and Nero fighting for love. Sanctus does value his subordinates,at least when they are of use to him or as evil as he is.

Powers
After the Ascension revived him, Sanctus gained demonic powers, but did not undergo any immeadiate transformation. He could use an Alto Angelo armor as a sort of puppet that he mentally controlled. Shortly after becoming one with the Savior, Sanctus gained the ability to teleport, levitate, and encase himself in a shield. He could also unleash flurries of energy blasts and beams of energy from the sky. While the demonic energies that revived Sanctus decreased the the degrading vitality he has from being an elderly man, he is still susceptible to attacks that wouldn't normally hurt demons. As Sanctus Diabolica, he wielded the sword, Sparda, named after the Dark Knight.

Trivia

 * Sanctus is named for the fourth part of the Catholic Ordinary of the Mass.