Holy Knights

The Holy Knights are a small group of seven individuals of great power who reside in Hell. The first generation of the Knights was composed of seven Captain Class Soul Reapers on a mission to attempt to purify Togabito, however prolonged time in Hell corrupted them, turning them into Togabito themselves. At the same time their Zanpakuto absorbed the power of Hell and were locked into their Shikai states, and were renamed the Abyssus Animus (Latin for Hell Soul). The current Generation is composed of Togabito who defeated the original members in battle and took their blades. Each member is given a title signifying their rank based on power (e.g. The most poweful member is known as "1st Knight" while the weakest is known as "7th Knight").

Original Generation

 * 1st Knight - Unnamed Soul Reaper
 * 2nd Knight - Unnamed Soul Reaper
 * 3rd Knight - Unnamed Soul Reaper
 * 4th Knight - Unnamed Soul Reaper
 * 5th Knight - Unnamed Soul Reaper
 * 6th Knight - Unnamed Soul Reaper
 * 7th Knight - Unnamed Soul Reaper

Second Generation

 * 1st Knight - Deus
 * 2nd Knight - Haruka
 * 3rd Knight - Hibiki
 * Hana
 * 4th Knight - Ami Endo
 * 5th Knight - Unnamed Togabito
 * 6th Knight - Unnamed Togabito
 * 7th Knight - Haruko

Uniform
The Holy Knights don't have proper uniforms, however they all wear white. In addition, somewhere on their clothes they have the crest of the Holy Knights, a black circle segmented into four parts, with a stylized cross resembling a sword within it.

The Original Generation of Knights wore their Soul Reaper Shihaksho with white armbands carrying their crest.

Domain
The Holy Knights rule the very deepest layers of Hell, causing some to refer to said layers as "The Kingdom". Any who ever The Kingdom are instantly drained of their spiritual energy and made aware of the presence of the Knights due to their massive levels of Reitsu. A common sight within The Kingdom is the presence of Hibiki's familiars soaring through the skies monitoring all that goes on.

The Knights however recognize the acknowledge the presence of the Diabolus, respecting their territory. As such the boundaries of The Kingdom are clearly defined and there is a sizable No Mans Land uncontrolled by either the Knights or the Optimates.

Major Events
Formation of the Holy Knights: At an unknown point 7 of the captains of the Gotei 13 descended into Hell in an attempt to purge the realm of evil. During this crusade they were slowly corrupted by the very evil then were sent to destroy and as a result were bound in Hell, warped into Tobagito.

Formation of the Second Order: Over a period of several centuries the members of the Holy Knights were defeated one by one by powerful Togabito. Those who claimed the blades of the fallen Knights took their place, becoming the Second Order of the Holy Knights.

Invasion of the Livng: Shortly after Soul Society's battle against Ami Endo the Knights began to mobalize. They began pushing out of Hell and began a crusade to take over the World of the Living. While this attack against the Living was limited it caused massive damage and the outright destruction of many wandering souls, as well as inadvertently giving rise to several powerful Hollows which then attacked Soul Society of their own accord. After a brief occupation of a large city they were pushed back into Hell by the combined efforts of the Gotei 13 and their allies.

Defeat and Destruction: After returning to Hell the Holy Knights began planning an attack on the Soul Society itself. Before this could be carried out however Soul Society struck the first blow. What would latter be know as the War of the Holy Knights and the Three Days of Hell broke between the two forces. One by one the members of the Holy Knights were defeated, however at a great cost of life, until only their leader remained. After a long and drawn out battle Deus herself gave in after the destruction of her source of power and the Holy Knights ceased to exist.

Powers
Tractus (Latin for Movement): Is the high speed movement technique of the Holy Knights. Unlike other high speed movement techniques such as Flash Step and Sonido, the user "teleports" between point A and point B, the speed of the "teleport" being determined on the skill level of the Knight.

Abyssus Animus
Each member of the Holy Knights has an Abyssus Animus. They were originally the Zanpakuto of the original generation of the Knights, however due to their corruption their blades transformed. They were locked into their Shikai and stained black with darkness. Upon transformation they were given a new name to reflect their new form. Each one functions differently, however they all have the ability to greatly amplify and even restore the powers of a Togabito that wield them. Each represents one of the 7 Deadly Sins, though their name and their wielder need not reflect the same sin. The only way to obtain one is to defeat its previous wielder thus winning its loyalty.

Trivia

 * Invidus Rex and Avaritia are the only Abyssus Animus that represent the sin they are named after.