Mammon

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon."

- Matthew 6:19-21,24

 (μαμμωνάς; Donyoku, Japanese and Greek for Greed) was a powerful and enigmatic S-Class Daemon known to reside in an alternate dimension typically referred to as Mammon's World, albeit he made visits to the Realms and from time to time for business ventures. Born from greed when it was just in its infancy, namely the earliest stages of Humanity, Mammon the Devil/Demon gained prominent influence and rank through shady business practices he had done as a Dark Entrepreneur. As the millenniums passed, Mammon earned the titles Unholy Merchant King and Father of Greed.

Mammon is regularly regarded as one of the most neutral-centric characters of Bleach: Tribulations, known to be an observer and often provided both sides with tidbits of confidential information for a price, of course. Mammon was not entirely antagonistic, only doing things he deemed profitable and exciting. Mammon is also one of the many supporting characters in the Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi) Storyline, still up to no good.

Appearance
Mammon was considered the representation and epitome of lucrative business and wealth in physical form. Practically everything about him described the secular psychological concept of greed and utmost wealth. Each and every glance of Mammon stirred an inordinate desire to partake in what society would normally consider as connotations of greedy behavior, such as the quest for excessive amount of riches through disloyalty, bribery, theft, etc. Although Mammon was clearly not defined as handsome, he possessed an incalculable amount of charm known to permeate throughout his body. This charm served to change people's perception of goods and merely influenced them to open up their hearts to desire and ultimately trust Mammon. Many Philosophers had theorized it was this factor that had allowed Mammon to corrupt so many individuals with promises of wealth and power; all it took was to gain their measly trust, something a manipulative businessman like him could readily acquire at a moments notice.

In Mammon's most current incarnation, he bore the form of a tall and lanky man, having been described the proportions of bamboo, with pale white skin similar to that of an albino. Like directly coming from fantasy, his alien and strange features only served to appeal and bring about curiosity within the minds of onlookers. This only served to cement Mammon's portrayal as a foreign businessman even further. Mammon's hair was cut mid-length, colored bright and brilliant purple-pink, smooth to the touch and always stayed in the same place, no matter how much he chose to move. Bits of his fine hair was parted midway to make bangs far from his eyes. Eccentric yet serious eyes of gold and purple was a strange trait to posses, as it dictated Mammon's inherent cruelty and insanity, kept at bay with constant humour and apathy. The eyes themselves could enlarge to immense size for the masses, much to his own enjoyment or amusement. In every confrontation, Mammon was always found with a large smile, which revealed themselves to be rows of razor-sharp predatory teeth. Each time Mammon spoke, a voice both hoarse and soothing would come out, able to lull people into a sense of security and easiness. But other times, it carried a tone of malice and unkempt hatred, riddled with poisonous undertones meant to cause restlessness and doubt.

To most individuals who happen to catch a fleeting glimpse of him, Mammon appeared to be an individual who enjoyed the finer points of life, favoring the business-style of most entrepreneurs of the post Victorian and Modern age. He dressed in a finely tailored suit of woven silk accented with an exquisite scarf-like sweater layered in colors of pink and purple and a small plump red bow tie. He wore a ludicrous top hat, etched with a strange orange pattern. The suit ended some point after his knees, continuing with high socks and curved dress shoes of midnight black. Near Mammon's wrists were light pink cuffs dotted with white, complete with white gloves that seemingly conveyed sensation to any wearer. Oftentimes, Mammon was seen with an ornamental cane of aged oak, topped off with a small silver bust of what many thought to be his previous form. Upon seeing him, several had remarked that Mammon partially resembled the Mad Hatter, a fact he chose to neither accept or deny.

Generally speaking, the sound of jingling coins always indicated his arrival and exit. Every step Mammon took resulted in the sound of an old style register processing a sale. And whenever he waved his staff of a cane, the sounds of falling coins would appear. These strange occurrences only managed to describe his persona of a business investor and capitalist.

Personality
"The Rent is due Mirikumo-sama. It's time for Mammon to collect his payment."

- Mammon's Typical Saying

Mammon normally portrayed himself as an ever-cheerful individual, always with a large smile and wide-open eyes, all of which were seemingly meant to place future clients and victims at ease. Out of the Diabolus, Mammon was one of the few who were easily capable of displaying emotion, usually meant for his benefit. He generally appeared sympathetic, genuine, even compassionate to a certain extent, willing to lend aide or even talk people out of his deals. But all of that was done for a bigger and devious agenda as Mammon used trickery and deviance to the garner valuable trust and manipulate them to meet his own ends.

One must not take Mammon lightly as the Diabolus placed his survival and freedom above all else, greatly believing in the universal saying, "Survival of the Fittest". Mammon was self-sufficient and was regularly known to make decisions on the fly, without a care for the end result. Although good-natured for the most part, Mammon defied rules, especially the laws of reality, just to suit his selfish needs and accomplish the numerous wishes of the Contractor. He ignored all aspects of authority sans his own, such as the god-like Optimates, only feigning loyalty to have better standing and further increase his chance of survival. Mammon routinely thought outside the box and believed that nothing was impossible, only plausible as it depended on other's limitations. The S-Class Diabolus thought himself as a neutral entity, choosing to facilitate the interest of others for a price, only to increase his monetary gains in the long run.

Mammon was relatively known for his over the top playful streak, frequently teleporting and popping in the vicinity of the other's personal space rather unexpectedly, much to their chagrin and annoyance. He had a robust and seemingly cruel sense of humour, breaking into large smiles or bouts of laughter once he witnesses someone else's misfortune or anything similar. Mammon liked to mockingly tease anyone who made his acquaintance, especially his contractors, usually by addressing them with the suffix -sama as a mixture of both respect and sarcasm. Due to his tendency for smiles and ambiguity, Mammon could hardly be taken seriously and was hard to discern any type of emotion from him rather than the ones he portrayed. However, the Diabolus was quite protective of Mammon's World and his contracted tenants, easily getting irritated or angered when someone would carelessly threaten his world.

As the Vice of Greed and Avarice, Mammon particularly enjoyed wealth and possessions above all else, regularly making decisions based on profitability. When prompted, Mammon would nearly stop everything in his tracks to hear any type of lucrative business proposition or deal, analyzing the situation to see if he could make any form of "profit" or "fortune" from the supposed endeavor. Once deemed suitable, Mammon called them a Contractor or Client and willingly offered his services for the time agreed upon. However, if the proposition was deemed unsuitable, Mammon would merely killed them on the spot and take their soul or leave the ill-fated in a dire situation. Either way was seen as a win-win situation for Mammon.

Contrary to Mammon's exhibited personality, he surprisingly took extreme delight in taking the souls of his Contractors, especially those that broke the proposed rules and agreements, relentlessly hunting them down till the deed was done. A common saying affixed to this belief Mammon casually uttered upon their harvest was "You reap what you sow." However, Mammon was known to be overly protective and possessive of his Contractors, doing whatever it takes to keep them in the palm of his hands, either backstabbing, murder, or the very manipulation of events. Maybe it was because of these actions, that numerous individuals from over the course of history easily mistaken Mammon as a Deity, especially the Greek God Plutus and the Roman God Dis Pater. Relishing the apparent worship he was given, Mammon chose to not deny of these allegations, having taken the advantage to acquire Human Souls at an accelerated rate.

History
What little History gathered here had been previously dictated by Mammon but the truthfulness in his words remained uncertain.

Borne from the earliest glimpses of Humanity's avarice and greed, the being known as Mammon took on the guise of a Devil or a Demon and was later given form in the Mountains of Elysium, a land in the Realm of Hell ruled by the Great Demon Lord, Arthfael Lucifer Mendax. Thrust into Lord Arthfael's service at an early age, Mammon served his Master diligently as an attendant, only leaving the Lord's side whenever he was summoned to form contracts with ignorant humans. But as time passed on, Mammon grew in power through the contracts, especially after being misidentified as a God by multiple civilizations, such as the Greeks and Romans, who believed him to be Plutus and Dis Pater respectively. Realizing Wealth was power, Mammon went about making "business contracts" with numerous clients and Diabolus, promising prestige and riches beyond imagination to those who signed an agreement.

Mammon's accomplishments did very little to hide him from prying eyes, having later garnered the attention of Lord Arthfael himself. Seeing that Mammon could be valuable resource to anyone who made use of his services, Lord Arthfael forcibly recruited him as his Contract Adviser, basically providing economical advice and overseeing the Lord's "finances" amongst the lowly humans and collect the "overdue rent many of them apparently had". While given free reign in his duties as Adviser, Mammon constantly indulged in his freedom and steadily stole souls bit by bit while modifying any records the Diabolus could get its greedy hands on. Now with the accumulated souls he consolidated over the centuries at his disposal, Mammon decided to leave the wretched place he once considered home.

Contacting the numerous cults dedicated to him, Mammon initiated a plan decades in the making.

Common Knowledge about Mammon
''Listed Text was found in a recently discovered Manuscript that once belonged to a Cult of Devil Worshipers previously aligned to the Demon of Greed. Little did they know, making contracts with Mammon was a death sentence.''

"You wish the summon little ole me, the Greedy Demon Mammon? Call out my name three times and speak with thee. I will heed thine call and visit ye. Speak your desire and I shall grant. All I ask was a soul, your soul to complete the pact. Do as you're told and I will give your desire. But can you trust me, a little ole liar?"

Faustian Bargain
"Remain wary of the Daemon known as Mammon. Never offer Mammon anything and NEVER accept anything he offers. For the client's desire to be reality, Mammon demands a sacrifice any they possess - a Soul. Thus, to form a contract with Mammon, simply means death."

- A Warlock

Mammon only dealt in the most valuable currency to Diabolus, the trade of Human Souls. Thus, the Unholy Merchant King was particularly infamous for the contracts and pacts he makes with numerous clients, known to enthusiastically grant any wish of any kind, as long as he made reaped a profit through his endeavors. Mammon regularly sought those individuals with a greedy heart and an intolerable desire for riches, appearing before them with an offer hardly any of them could refuse. To them, the promise of wealth was deemed far more valuable than the "fictional" soul they were led to believe and graciously gave it away, much to Mammon's enjoyment. A businessman and entrepreneur to heart, the Diabolus took advantage of any present circumstances, answering the calls of anyone down in their luck and anyone he deemed worthy to meet his acquaintance. Acting like an Angel of Irony, Mammon provided beloved salvation to many but at a price no one could eagerly pay.

Although Mammon stayed true to the terms and conditions agreed upon with the client, this did not put him above the rest of his kind. In fact, Mammon used this as an opportunity to cause mischief to those around him. Due to the stupidity and inherent ignorance of most of clients, Mammon, like many of Diabolus, readily exploited any presentable loopholes to his advantage, sometimes taking their agreements quite literally to create the proposed wish. This left the Clients no room to flee, allowing them to fail into dismay and doubt as they saw the life Mammon graciously provided, crumble right before their eyes.

Many had inferred Mammon had a particular hand in influencing Human History, much like Dorothy Furlan Liberi, but at a more subtle note as he was the force that indirectly led to the sacking of Byzantine during the Crusades and the Age of Discovery, having spurred on multiple explorers to their eternal quest for wealth and inevitable death.

Equipment
Ornamental Cane: He was always seen with an Ornamental Cane by his side. Wooden by appearance, metallic by nature, Mammon primarily used the Cane as a means to exaggerate his eccentric motions. Mammon was never seen without it. Even if the Cane was destroyed, he merely recreated it into existence once again, as if nothing happened.

Powers and Abilities
Immense Spiritual Power: A single word could hardly describe the frightening reiatsu this shady businessman wielded. To call it powerful was considered an understatement and a term deemed offensive to Mammon's ears. It was described as something entirely different, something otherworldly and terrifying to behold to the mortal eye.

Immense Strength: While Mammon hardly shown any of his physical abilities, his strength whenever applied was something worthy to take note of and avoid altogether. He simply referred to his strength as "moderate" but in actuality, it overpowered just about anyone foolish enough to stand in his way. Mammon had the potential hold off and overwhelm most individuals with a mere flick of his finger, able to send them flying several miles with a severe amount of concussive force. Nonetheless, Mammon's strength was impressive, being capable of breaking through multiple seals and barriers with just a swipe of his cane. And when Mammon vied for supremacy amongst the Diabolus to be the sole vice of avarice, he slayed them with little to no effort at all. However, Mammon made no effort to use this strength, preferring to allocate most of the power to his other, more beneficial combat skills. No one could really explain the source of Mammon's strength and how he achieved it, but several claimed it to be a simple Diabolus spell while others said it was the culmination of Humanity's Avarice that powered him.

Immense Durability: As time passed, Mammon's considerable power continued to grow to frightening proportions, including the Diabolus's natural resistance to physical and magic damage, up to the point that the damage seemingly inflicted was essentially null and void. Mammon was quite difficult to contend with, no matter what dangerous situtation he was "placed" in. Attacks from Zanpakuto were deflected from Mammon's body or could easily be caught bare-handed without a second glance. The mightiest of magic barely had an effect on him, saying it "tickled", and dispelled or absorbed it in an instant. Mammon's tolerance for pain was practically non-existent, taking severed limbs with a smile or an erratic laugh. The wounds inflicted only served to rile him up even further, mainly because the Diabolus relished the look of surprise on his opponents as he mercilessly cut them while disfigured. Unlike Humans and Shinigami, who relied on an outdated and useless physiology, Diabolus utilized an all encompassing form and were not required to rely on senseless vitals detrimental to their health. Anything considered lethal by Human and Shinigami standards could not be easily applied to Diabolus, especially to the likes of Mammon, who did not care for the damage inflicted upon him. Even the complete annihilation of his body did not warrant Mammon's death; as long as the vice of avarice existed in the world, Mammon would survive indefinitely.

High-Speed Regeneration: Diabolus possessed a several traits akin to Hollows, one of the most prominent being the capability to rapidly heal from wounds or regrow lost limbs. Unlike and  that required a sustainable physiology, Diabolus had no such need for a barbaric system and could easily survive from damage typically deemed fatal, having opted to survive on dark energies and the vices alone. Mammon was a spectacle to witness, using the Vice of Avarice and natural magic to induce regeneration at an alarming rate, even in the midst of battle. As long as Mammon's consciousness and a meager piece of him remained, he had the true potential to survive any ordeal thrown at him, relentlessly coming back for more.

Keen Intellect:
 * Master Manipulator 
 * Multilingual: Due to his absorption of any soul who expressed greed in their hearts, Mammon had also managed to the souls' knowledge. The diversity of the souls allowed Mammon to amass encyclopedic knowledge of every written and spoken language known to man, even ancient and dead languages lost to the sands of time. Mammon particularly enjoyed speaking in Italian, Greek, Old Norse, and Latin, believing it had a special type of charm.

Master-level Enhanced Speed: A spry and flexible creature at heart.

Mutator Formarum (変身 (ムタトルフォルマルム); Japanese for "Metamorphosis", Latin for "He Who Changes"):

Somnium Fugo (夢大食漢 (ソムニウンフゴ), Latin for "Dream Chaser", Japanese for "Dream Eater"): For centuries, Dreams were believed to be mere projections of an individuals' subconscious thoughts and desires, spurred on by residue spiritual particles in the atmosphere to produce vivid creations of the mind. Sometimes, these projections were strong enough to establish a semi-permanent link to a temporal demi-plane of reality, connected to the transcendent expanse of the known universe. Naturally, Diabolus were attuned to these transcendent boundaries and could temporarily bypass any obstacle to visit these places through an individual's dreams. But for a powerful and ancient Diabolus like Mammon, his skills were more than developed, absolute some would say, able to perform feats normally not attainable by weaker kin. Mammon regularly used Dream Walking as an unconventional means of transportation, invading a target's consciousness to escape or hide from opponents. To Mammon, Dreams were beneficial business ventures waiting to happen, as Humans were known to be extremely vulnerable during this state, mentally and physically. Appearing to them in the Dream World, Mammon used suggestion to subtly guide them to the path of corruption, gradually building up their greed for him to feed upon and use. Other times, Mammon used this as an opportunity to make Faustian Bargains with an unsuspecting victim, who typically realized their error right after the Contract had been established, much to his sadistic enjoyment.
 * Real World Death: Mammon's power in Dream Walking was considered absolute.
 * World Change:

Daemon Possessio (魔族獲得 (ダエモンポセシオ); Latin for "Spiritual Possession", Japanese for "Demonic Possession"):

Spatium Mótus (瞬間移動 (スパチウンモウツス), Latin for "Spatial Movement", Japanese for "Teleportation"): An individual literally known to appear anywhere and anytime at an instant, Mammon's mastery and reputation over the ability to spend space-time to his will did not proceed him. Being a Diabolus of incalculable age, Mammon had eventually mastered the technique to such an extent that with a mere smile, wink, or wave of his ornamental cane, he produced and completed numerous gateways with formidable proficiency, which allowed for multiple means of escape or attack. Through extensive experimentation, Mammon had developed the capability to instantly travel anywhere uninhibited as long as someone uttered his name, typically achieved through enchanted means. Once an individual called out his name, Mammon would hear them and immediately gain knowledge of the immediate surroundings. And at his own volition, Mammon may appear on a whim. By using Mammon's World as the center of an incredibly powerful gateway, Mammon possessed the potential to easily travel through the Dimensions, even the Realms without fear; the place of origin acted as en extremely potent form of anchor. Every time Mammon teleported to a specific location, he may flicker in and out of existence with a resounding pop or with no sound at all.
 * Original Attack: Wordplay:

Insita Anima Virtus
"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless."

- Ecclesiastes 5:10

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. Insita Anima Virtus (先天的呪縛, Latin for, "Inborn Power From the Soul", Japanese for, "Inherent Spell"): The unique abilities born within the Diabolus. These powers naturally came to the Diabolus and were the very manifestation of their perception of reality, being somewhat similar to a Shinigami's Zanpakuto or an Arrancar's Ressurection albeit significantly easier to utilize on a momentary whim. Mammon's Power was rumoured to had been the culmination of all the Diabolus of Greed, having achieved a possible unified power through Mammon's genocide and subsequent assimilation. How true the statement was remained vague and ambiguous, as Mammon had never fully disclosed complete details about it.

Illecebra Avaritia (グリードの誘惑, Latin and Japanese for Temptation of Greed), it was a metaphysical ability that transcended the bounds of reality and consequently allowed Mammon to further his agenda and goals.

Sortiarius Powers & Abilities
"He broke out into a wicked smile and clapped his gloved hands with joyful glee. Pink and purple energy started to encircle around his body in a chaotic fashion"

- Mammon observed casting

Sortiarius Master (魔法(ソルチアリウス), Latin for "One Who Influences Fate", Japanese for "Magic"):
 * : Sortiarius was a strange art to utilize, even to understand, as it provided so many different probabilities to the wielder that even the limits remained a mystery to them.

Ζεύς κωμῳδία
Ζεύς κωμῳδία (Zeús Kōmōidía, Ancient Greek for Divine Comedy):

κρήνη πλοῦτος
κρήνη πλοῦτος (Pege Ploutos, Ancient Greek for Fountain of Wealth):

πλοῦτος κράτος
πλοῦτος κράτος (Ploutos Kratos, Ancient Greek for Wealthy Dominion):

Quotes

 * (To Cult Worshipers) "Silly Humans! No one can explain Mammon!"
 * (To Unknown Individual) "A Master you say? Mammon has no such thing; only Mammon can serve himself."
 * (To Unknown Individual) "Mammon cannot die in a literal sense. As long as there is avarice in the world, Mammon will be reborn indefinitely!"
 * (Usual Saying) "Mammon does not understand the concept of charity. There is always a payout, regardless how you Humans may look at it. Charity is just another way to give/get something free while under the pretense of the greater good. But all it does was line our pockets, and increase our egos."
 * (Usual Saying) "How a bout a deal?'"
 * (Another Saying) "That's something you should never lose sight of"
 * "Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?"

Trivia

 * Mammon was the only true Diabolus of Greed, having eradicated or absorbed all known Individuals of similar Vice centuries before. Any others were considered as sentient extensions of Mammon's Power. Therefore, any attempts to summon a Diabolus of Greed will merely summon Mammon himself, or one of his "children", as seen by the Yoriteishou. However, that didn't rule out the possibility of survivors he mistakenly overlooked.
 * Mammon's role and occupation placed him at position that was merely a fusion of a Bank Manager, Clerical Staff, Stock and Funds Broker, and Debt Collector.
 * It was unknown if Mammon could be designated as the Arcus Daemon of Greed, as he himself was the sole manifestation of Vice amongst the Diabolus. Whether the assumption remained true or not, was rather ambiguous to say the least. Several had inferred Mammon was one of the three Arcus Daemons under the command of Arthfael Lucifer Mendax. But after Mammon left Arthfael's command in favor of his own, Mammon's title and designation would have been stripped, becoming an S-Class Daemon in name only.
 * Mammon was one of the few notable individuals to have betrayed one of the Optimates and survived, this being Lord Arthfael Lucifer Mendax. The only known other was Dorothy Furlan da Liberi, an S-Class Succubus Mammon consecutively remained wary of, which served as a testament to her power.
 * Mammon was mockingly referred to as a Faux Optimate.
 * Mammon had a strange manner of speaking, typically referring to himself in Third Person in most documented cases.
 * Throughout Mammon's entire lifetime, the Diabolus gained a multiple amount of titles: Unholy Merchant King, Broker of Hell, Dream Walker, Greed Incarnate, True Devil, God of Riches and Wealth, The Real Freddy Kruger, and Father of Greed.
 * Although Mammon was a Diabolus of Devil/Demon Makeup, numerous individuals in Human History had mistakenly believed Mammon to be the Greek God Plutus and the Roman God Dis Pater respectively. Oftentimes, Mammon was personified as the Demon of Gluttony, Richness, and Injustice during the Middle Ages.

Behind the Scenes

 * Etymologically, the word is assumed to derive from Late Latin 'mammon', from Greek 'μαμμωνάς', Syriac 'mámóna' (riches), and was an Aramaic loan word in Hebrew meaning wealth or possessions, although it may also have meant 'that in which one trusts', hence why many people tend to trust him even though Mammon was a creature aligned with the dark.
 * The Appearance and Personality Traits described were directly influenced by and a reference to Masakaki, a crucial supporting character in the series, [C] - Control.
 * Mammon bore a small semblance to the Chesire Cat from Alice in the Wonderland, due to their traits of excessive smiling and their manner of color choice, pink-purple. Another notable similarity was with the Mad Hatter, having a slight semblance to each other with their choice of clothing and personality quirks.
 * The writer would like to accredit Illuminate Void with introducing the Weakness concept for abilities.