It had been five years since Issei had discovered his Sacred Gear, Heavenly Crown. In terms of power, Yahweh told him he was probably up to par with an average high-class warrior, though in terms of experience, he still lacked...well...any to be completely honest. It had taken some time to come to an understanding between God, Issei, and his parents on what he would do with his newfound abilities, and they all agreed that the safest thing to do would be to train in secret until Issei was powerful enough to enter the world of the supernatural on his own, as well as protect his family. His parents even offered to start attending church regularly if it would help or be more respectful to the God they went to church to worship, but Yahweh insisted that all the education they would get there he could provide at their own house, so there was no need to worry about it. Besides, going to a church with a holy Sacred Gear could put Issei into harm's way earlier than planned.
The last precaution that they had put into place was Issei being homeschooled. They debated about it for a short while, as on the one hand, it could prove dangerous for himself and others should he go, but on the other, it would also be detrimental for his social skills should he stay isolated at home. It was actually Issei who convinced them that he wanted to stay home, as God could teach him what was important, and, since Irina had left, he didn't really have any other friends that he felt the need to go see in the first place. After relenting to his argument, Issei's time was split between being taught by his parents and God, training with his Sacred Gear, and spending some free time just being a kid. Yahweh was very insistent that he spends as much time as possible being young, because, as he put it, 'the older you get the more you wish you were young again.'

Today's training was a bit of an experiment on Yahweh's part. In all fairness, everything about their training was an experiment to some degree, considering he'd never been awakened before, but this was something a bit...different. Of course, even though it wasn't necessarily his intention, God knew about Balance Breakers, but there was something else he theorized with his system. So, Issei headed to his 'training grounds' which was, essentially, the middle of the forest that he maintained a barrier around, preventing anyone from entering and keeping all noise and magical presence from escaping.

"Alright then, Issei. Are you ready?" God asked.

'Of course! Let's do this!' the now thirteen-year-old Issei mentally cheered. 'Wait, what is it that we're doing exactly?'

"Well, remember that the Sacred Gear, in essence, is an addition to your soul. It is magic that activates it, yes, but the Sacred Gear is ingrained into your very being. That's why I always have you suppress it. Others, while they can't tell what it is that you possess, will be able to tell that something about you is different. Many will guess it's a Sacred Gear of some sort that has yet to awaken. Remember, people who have yet to awaken their Sacred Gears are prime candidates for one of two things: elimination before they become threats or recruitment so that they become threats to their enemies," explained Yahweh. "So, what I want to try, is utilizing the angelic nature of your Longinus, which is me, to essentially 'reincarnate' you, so to speak, as an angel, or, at the very least, make you 'part' angel."

'That...sounds...AWESOME!' Issei exclaimed back. 'You really think I can do that?"

"Well, from what I'm aware, Sacred Gears with souls are able to interact with their host extensively, as we have been for the past five years or so. Because of that, I should be able to modify your soul and body as I fit, should you allow me to, of course. I theorize that the hosts of both Ddraig and Albion could do the same to turn them into partial dragons should they wish."

'So, how exactly do we do this?' Issei asked.

"Well, let's just take a look-see around your soul here…" muttered Yahweh, as crashing and clanking noise proceeded to rattle around in Issei's head.

'Uh, everything alright in there?'

"Yes, yes, everything's fine. Hey! Get back here! Stop trying to corrupt his soul!"

'Uh…'

"AND STAY OUT! LUST HAS NO PLACE HERE!" God yelled as the yowl of a cat followed the sound of a firm kick. "Ahem...Anyway, where was I…"

'Right...we were turning me into an angel I think?'

"Yes, of course! Now, there are two options here. We could select individual body parts, such as your arms and or legs, and turn those into angel body parts, which would increase their affinity to holy magic as well as its resistance to it, though that would increase that parts' susceptibility to demonic magic and you would have to learn some sort of transformation magic to suppress its natural holy aura and appearance. The second option would be to select key body parts in order to make you into a full angel. I believe that's what this button is for."

'Button? There's a button in my soul?'

"Yes, it's right over here. It says 'press here for full angelification,'" Yahweh read.

'...'

"..."

'...'

"..."

'...'

"..."

'How exactly did you become God again?'

"Oh, just be quiet. Are you ready?"

'Is this going to hurt?'

"After that last comment, I hope so. Alright, here we go!"

'WAIT, WAIT, HOLD ON A SE-' but Issei was cut off by a sudden and excruciating pain. "AHHHHHHHHH!"

"Hold on a bit more, child! It shouldn't be too much longer!"

"IT HURTS!" Issei screamed as he collapsed to his knees. "MY CHEST! IT FEELS LIKE IT'S TEARING ITSELF APART!"

"I think that's just your heart transforming into an angelic one. You see-"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME SCREAM! ARRRGGHHHHH!" he groaned, writhing around on the ground.

"Aaaaannnnddd, done!" God concluded. "There you go, Issei. How do you feel now?"

"For some reason I wish you weren't in my soul so I could punch you in the face," Issei grumbled, getting up on shaky limbs. "My whole body is sore beyond belief."

"Well, aside from that, how do you feel?"

"Before I answer that, isn't enjoying giving me pain a sin or something? You're literally God, is that allowed?"

"Well...I suppose it is...but I've been following my own rules to the letter for millennia. I'm in a Sacred Gear now, I can bend some of them a little if I want to."

"Somehow, I've gotten more confidence from you saying that."

"I try my best-"

"Because if someone like you can become God, I definitely can."

"Hmm, this button says 'cause pain again.' I think that's the next one I should press…"

"NO! No, there's no need for that! You're our holy father after all! You love and protect all of your wonderful children! Haha ha!"

"You really believed there was a button like that…"

"You're the worst…" Issei sighed. "Anyway, did it work? Am I an angel or something now?"

"I believe so. Why don't you try spreading your wings? Also, why are you still talking out loud?"

"I don't know, it gave me something to focus on other than the agony you just put me through…" 'Is this better?' Isse asked mentally.

"Much. Now, spread your wings, child!"

'And how exactly do I do that?'

"Oh, right… Well, let's see now...Give me a second here, I'll remember eventually."

'How do you NOT remember? You're GOD, you CREATED angels,' Issei groaned.

"Could you teach someone else how to breathe or walk? No? Exactly. It's just something I can do, I don't really know how to explain it."

'So, should I just wait for you to figure it out-' Issei was cut off from his thoughts by a small cracking noise. 'This isn't good.'

"What isn't good? Did you blow something up trying to let your wings out?" God asked.

'No! Someone broke the barrier!'

"Are you sure you set it up right?"

'Of course, I'm sure!'

"Then you should hide. That barrier was strong enough to keep out anyone twice your strength and below. Whoever this is...you don't stand a chance."

'Thanks for the vote of confidence! I'll find somewhere to hide!' Issei quickly found some thick foliage to hide in and practically held his breath waiting for whoever it was to arrive.

Several minutes later, a figure came out from the trees. He was wearing similar garments to Yahweh, that being massive gold-colored shoulder armor plates and a holy robe with a large white cross in the center. The more Issei looked at the man, the more he was reminded of Yahweh. They had the same eyes and the same hair color and a similar overall facial structure, but the man looked about ten years younger.

"I'm sure it's around here somewhere…" the man mumbled to himself, looking around.

'He looks...like...exactly like you if you weren't so old and crotchety,' Issei pointed out.

"You're lucky my principles are on forgiveness, child…" God grumbled in response. "But he looks exactly like me because that's Michael. He's my son."

'Really? What's he- wait a second. I thought Jesus was your son? More than that, aren't we all your children?'

"Ok, it's kinda hard to explain. The whole 'everyone is my child' thing is more of a figure of speech. Anyway, that's not important right now."

'Right...Anyway, what's your son doing here?'

"Maybe he's looking for you? You did kinda just become an angel."

'Think I should say something?'

"No, I think you should stay in this bush for the next hour and hope he doesn't expect you to hide."

'The Bible really should have mentioned that you were this sarcastic, you know…'

"Listen, I'm allowed to adjust my manner of speaking according to the time period I'm in, as well as who I'm talking to. I assure you, when I was ruling over Heaven I was much less sarcastic. Now, enough about me. Go say something to Michael!"

'Alright, alright, fine. Grouchy old man…' Issei grumbled before emerging and clearing his throat. "Uh, yo. Michael, right?"

Michael turned to look at the boy and just stared at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, child, I don't believe I know who you are. How do you know who I am?"

"Uncle Yahweh told me."

"Way to go, kid…" God sighed. Michael just stood there in shock for a second. While it wasn't exactly hidden knowledge that God's real name was Yahweh, it wasn't really broadcast either. Aside from that, apparently, God, who according to his knowledge was dead, informed the boy of who he was. "Hello, Michael."

"Father?" Michael asked softly, approaching the boy still in shock.

"Uh, not really," Issei chuckled uncomfortably.

"I'm not the boy, Michael... Really, I spend a few millennia sealed away and you think I'd come back as this child?"

"I feel like that was supposed to be an insult…" Issei deadpanned.

"Listen, Michael. I'm not dead and I'm not the boy. Any other guesses?"

"Are you...inside his soul?" Michael asked, still not fully processing what was happening.

"Close enough. Long story short, I never actually died in that battle against Ddraig and Albion. I sealed myself away too."

"So...you're...still alive?"

"That's the long and short of it, yes."

"Father...Father!" Michael exclaimed, hugging Issei fiercely. "I can't believe it!"

"I'm not your father, he's the Sacred Gear!" Issei choked out, trying not to be completely squished by Michael's aggressive affection.

"You should put him down before you squish him, my son," Yahweh pointed out.

"Oh, of course. I apologize, ahem. I seem to have lost my composure," Michael cleared his throat and fixed his apparel after setting Issei back down. Once he'd regained his regal appearance, Michael tried again. "Alright. So, child, who might you be?"

"My name's Issei Hyoudou, first wielder of the strongest Longinus, Heavenly Crown!" Issei announced proudly.

"Careful, boy. Pride is a sin, you know. Although, I am definitely the strongest."

"I thought you said pride was a sin…"

"For you it is, but I'm a Sacred Gear. My rules no longer apply to me," God explained as if it was obvious. "Anyway, Michael, what are you doing here?"

"Right, of course, father. Nice to meet you, too, Issei. It's a pleasure. Anyway, I was up working with your system when I noticed that we got a new angel, but all of the Seraphim were still in Heaven so I was a bit confused. It said that the new angel was right around here somewhere."

"Hey, that means it worked!" Issei cheered.

"Perfect! Good job, Issei!"

"What is it that worked?" Michael asked.

"God pressed the button in my head that made me an angel," Issei informed him.

"I'm not sure I follow, Issei. Father, what does he mean?"

"Sacred Gears become a part of the user's soul. That's how I designed them. I assumed that, with full permission of the host, Sacred Gears that are made up of another being's soul, such as myself, had the ability to 'modify' their host so to speak. We decided that Issei was to become an Angel."

"So, there wasn't a button?" Issei asked.

"No, Issei. There's no angelification button. I just told you that so it would be easier for you to understand. I don't know if you remember this, but you're thirteen. That's kind of young to understand full soul transformation."

"Dang…" Issei grumbled.

"So, is Issei a full angel or an angel-human hybrid?" Michael inquired.

"He should be a full angel. His body just needs another day or two to finish getting used to the adjustment. Frankly, the only reason he isn't rolling around in agony right now is that I've been training him for so long."

"Hey, you said you didn't think it would hurt that much!" Issei shouted.

"Well, it did initially, now you should just be sore for a day or two. Why do you think I waited so long to do this? I had to make sure you were ready."

"So, you're not as big of an idiot as you let on?"

"Issei…"

"Uh...yeah?"

"I'M GOD! I MADE THE ENTIRE WORLD! OF COURSE I'M NOT AN IDIOT!"

"Right, I keep forgetting about that…" Issei chuckled.

"You two seem...rather close," Michael commented. He probably would be scolding Issei for calling the Heavenly Father an idiot, but he was still processing the fact that his father was, in fact, not dead, but inside of a Sacred Gear that was within this boy.

"Well, he's been in my head for the past five years. We didn't really have much of a choice," Issei said.

"You say that like you're not happy I'm here…"

"Oh, alright, fine. Uncle Yahweh's been a great help and I don't know what I'd do without him. There, happy?"

"Same to you, child. I'm glad that you're the one who awakened me," God smiled. "Now, Michael, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Your wish is my command, my lord," Michael knelt, having finally caught up with where he was. "I apologize for my lack of manners up until now. Please, forgive me."

"Nonsense, my son. You're in charge of Heaven right now, are you not? I'm just a Sacred Gear. For all intents and purposes, God is dead. I'm just Yahweh." Michael took a moment but stood back up as God continued. "Now, I'm just a Sacred Gear, and, seeing as I've never been activated before, can only teach Issei so much. I'd like for you to go with Issei and teach him everything you can. Don't mention me to anyone else until he's ready, got it? Not even to Gabriel, Uriel, or Raphael. My existence should still be of the utmost secrecy."

"Of course, father. If that is what you wish," Michael replied.

"So, Issei. Why don't you take Michael with you back to the house before he takes you on a trip to Heaven for a little while."

"I'm really going to Heaven?!" Issei exclaimed. "Finally! I've wanted to go forever! Iri's going to be so jealous when I tell her!"

"I'm looking forward to training with you, Issei," Michael smiled. "Now, shall we get going?"

"All right! Let's go!" he shouted and took off towards his home.

{Line Break}

"Alright, Issei. Welcome to Heaven," Michael announced, gesturing to the pearly gates.

"This is so cool!" Issei exclaimed.

"It's been a long time," Yahweh added. "It's good to see my old home again."

"Halt! Identify yourselves!" one of the guards spoke.

"Hello, Peter. Lord Michael, Seraphim," Michael said, releasing his six pairs of glistening white wings and his radiant golden halo. "This is Issei Hyoudou. He's my new Jack."

"Yes, Lord Michael," Peter bowed, opening the gates for the two.

"Thank you, Peter. Have a blessed day," Michael smiled and continued through the gate.

"Uh, yes. Thank you," Issei bowed and hurried after Michael.

As the two walked through Heaven, many angels stopped to bow and greet Michael, some questioning each other who was with him. Michael greeted them each in turn with a radiant smile. Eventually, the two arrived at a brilliant golden elevator.

"Alright, here we are, Issei. The elevator," Michael informed him. "This will take us to the other levels of Heaven."

"So, what are all the levels for?" Issei asked.

"There are seven sections of Heaven," he said, pressing one of the elevator buttons. "That was First Heaven. All of the low and mid-tiered angels live there. Next is Second Heaven. That's essentially our prison. It's where all the angels who have sinned go to receive punishment. Our first stop is here, Third Heaven."

The elevator doors opened to reveal a balcony overlooking the most beautiful sight Issei had seen since he first met Yahweh all those years ago. "Wow…" he said under his breath.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" God added.

"Truly a sight," Michael smiled. "All of the angels come here from time to time to remind ourselves what our purpose is. Do you know what that purpose is, Issei?"

"No," Issei answered, still in awe at the landscape before him.

"Third Heaven is the place where all the souls of the dead who have led good and virtuous souls reside. As angels, our first and foremost duty above all others is to protect this place. Those who have made it to Heaven deserve an eternity of peace and tranquility and it's our duty to ensure that they get it. If ever you should find yourself overwhelmed or questioning what you're doing, come here. Remind yourself why we angels live and work."

"I still remember when I first gave that speech to Michael all those millennia ago. Ah, memories," Yahweh sighed.

"So, while you are an angel, you haven't technically allied with Heaven yet. Is that something you'd like to do?" Michael asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I decided what I want. I want to bring peace to the three factions and protect everyone who can't protect themselves."

"Truly a noble goal. I can see why father took to you," Michael smiled, before gazing back at the sight below. They stood there for several minutes just taking in the beauty of Third Heaven before turning back to the elevator. "Well, let's go. We have training to do and I still haven't finished explaining the rest of the floors yet."

"Right!" Issei agreed and got back on the elevator with Michael, who pressed another button before continuing to explain.

"After Third Heaven is Fourth Heaven, the Garden of Eden. That's where the Tree of Wisdom resides along with its fruit. I'll take you there another time to meet Dulio."

"Who's Dulio?"

"Dulio's our Joker. I'll tell you about it later, but he's said to be Heaven's strongest warrior."

"Cool!"

"Indeed. Following that, is Fifth Heaven. This used to be the home of the Grigori before they fell with Azazel. Now, we have some of our own research facilities that Uriel runs, as well as a hospital run by Raphael," Michael explained. "Finally, our stop. Sixth Heaven. This is where Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel, and myself all live. There are some private training grounds for us, too, but to be honest, we haven't really used them since the last war. There's also Seventh Heaven above this, but only I have access to that floor. That's where God used to reside and it's from there that his system runs. It's my job to monitor the system and ensure that prayers and miracles still happen. I must admit, I'm not nearly as good as my father was, but I do my best."

"I'm sure he's doing a fine job. Michael was always very modest," God commented.

The two walked towards the private training grounds where Michael stood in front of Issei. "Now, Issei. To begin with, I need to see how strong you are. Why don't you start by releasing your wings so I can get an estimate before we have a quick spar."

"Uh...yeah...about that," Issei scratched the back of his head nervously. "God kinda said he forgot how to activate my wings, so I don't know how to release them."

Michael just sighed and approached Issei. "Alright, it's rather simple. Just take a deep breath and focus all your holy energy towards your back, ok?"

Issei nodded and did as Michael told him. The Seraph approached and gently touched a finger to his forehead and wings sprouted out from Issei's back. What they hadn't expected was that Issei's wings were a brilliant golden color, rather similar to God's own. God, however, had seven pairs of wings, while Issei only had three pairs. "It worked! Wait, how come mine are gold?"

"I think that would be father's doing," Michael theorized. "Since you have his soul residing within you, you must have his wings."

"Sounds right to me," God shrugged.

"But Uncle Yahweh had seven pairs of wings and you have six. Why do I only have three?" Issei asked.

"Well, the number of wings you have corresponds with how powerful you are. One pair is low-class, two is mid-class, three is high-class, four is leader-class, and five is ultimate-class. Six pairs gives you the rank of Seraphim, while seven pairs was something only achieved by the Holy Father himself and it represented him as our God. You should be proud of your three pairs, Issei. The vast majority of angels have only one or two pairs of wings and you've only been training for a short time."

"I guess so. Uncle Yahweh said that I'd be about high-class in power...but…"

"But you have no combat experience or instincts," God finished.

"Yeah…"

"That's quite alright, Issei. That's why I'm here, isn't it? I'll be your opponent for now."

"That's crazy! You have twice as many wings as I do! How am I supposed to fight someone twice as strong as I am?"

"That's not how it works, Issei. The wings actually go up exponentially. For example, let's say that one pair of wings held a power level of 5. Two pairs of wings would be 25, three would be 125, four would be 625, five is 3,125, and six, which is Michael's level, would be 15,625. According to that, Michael is 125 times stronger than you are."

"HOW DOES THAT HELP ME AT ALL?" Issei wailed.

"Don't worry, Issei. That's why I wanted to see how many wings you had. I'll tone my power level down to around your level. If I don't know what you can do already, I can't really teach you. Now, go ahead and activate your Sacred Gear and we'll begin."

"Alright, fine," Issei sighed. "Heavenly Crown!"

"Alright, let's do this!"

"Come, show me what you've got, Issei!" Michael called.

Issei gave a powerful flap of his wings and shot into the sky with a great burst of speed. He formed a set of two light spears, one for each hand, and threw them down towards Michael who dodged them both and flew after Issei. The two formed light swords and clashed, beginning a brief power struggle before Michael quickly overcame Issei and disarmed him.

Before Michael could continue the attack, Issei thrust his other palm forward and with a shout, unleashed a shockwave of holy power towards Michael, shoving him back.

"Very impressive, Issei. I see that the Sacred Gear gives you some of father's powers."

"That's right! Here's my favorite! Purifying Ray!" Issei yelled back, firing a beam of light magic from each wing towards Michael.

"Well, that's different," Yahweh commented.

"Looks like you don't quite have full control over everything yet, Issei," Michael chuckled, easily avoiding the six beams. They each impacted the ground with a powerful explosion, sending clouds of dust into the sky. "However, father was right. Your power is very impressive."

"Thanks! This is my first real fight. Usually I just shoot at the barrier or the ground," Isse admitted.

"I see. Well, you should probably start practicing defense. Now should be good. Be ready, Issei! Try not to die!" Michael announced, before flying straight towards Issei.

"AHHHH!"

{Line Break}

Another four years went by. Issei continued to train under Michael in secret and was believed by the angels to be Michael's Jack. A few years before Issei had met Michael, Heaven developed a system known as the Brave Saints. Modeled after the devil's Evil Pieces, the Brave Saints allowed the Seraphim to convert humans into angels or resurrect them within approximately ten minutes of their death. The cards corresponded to power level, with two being the weakest and the ace being the strongest. In addition, there were two jokers, which had to be unanimously approved by the Seraphim. As of the current time, Dulio remained the only joker. The Brave Saints would serve under their respective Seraph, the Hearts under Gabriel, the Clubs under Raphael, the Diamonds under Uriel, and the Spades under Michael. The joker would serve Heaven as a whole, but was largely autonomous, of near equal standing to the Seraphim.

In truth, Issei was now far too powerful to be Michael's jack. In the first five years of training under just verbal instruction, Issei managed to reach high-class, but in the final four years, under the direction of both Yahweh and Michael, who was the strongest if not the second strongest person currently living in Heaven, he progressed even faster. Issei had just recently gained his fifth set of wings, meaning his power has increased a minimum of twenty-five times in only four years, a feat that neither Michael nor Yahweh could even begin to believe.

Because of his growth in strength, though it was largely at the insistence of God, Michael and Uriel developed a fifth set of Brave Saint cards for Issei. Unfortunately, that meant they had to inform Uriel of God's 'survival,' and he had a rather similar reaction to Michael of shock, followed by aggressive affectional relief, apologies for lack of respect, and was finalized with normal behavior. Since a deck of cards only held four suits, they had to discuss a new suit, which was actually relatively simple because of Issei's Sacred Gear. Issei was now King of Crowns, a suit developed specially for the wielder of the Heavenly Crown Longinus and would be given to any future users who chose to align with Heaven. For now, Issei was still not allowed to use the cards as he was required to have his sixth pair of wings first.

Aside from that, a new development has come up in Issei's life. His parents wanted him to return to public school when he reached high school, to help him regain some of his lost social skills and maybe get some friends. He managed to convince them to relent for his first year, but they were insistent for his second. Issei had to go there or else. Even as an ultimate-class angel and wielder of the Longinus Heavenly Crown, Issei feared his parent's special ability...threat of punishment. It still made him shiver to this day, and, in truth, no one is immune to such a powerful attack.

Fortunately, however, due largely to his association with Michael and Uriel, Issei was able to attend the school he'd actually wanted to go to, known as Kuoh Academy. This was a large school, which included a middle-school division, a high-school division, and a college division on its campus. It used to be an all-female school, but within the last two years, it had begun to accept male students as well. Even before then, it was rated as one of the top schools in Japan and it continued to receive phenomenal marks. This was certainly a nice side benefit of attending a school that held a ratio of 5 girls to every single boy. Issei may have been an ultimate-class angel, but he was also a seventeen-year-old male. Fortunately, according to Yahweh, lust and appreciation for beauty are different things, so as long as Issei refrains from excessive perversion, he should have no risk of falling. Michael didn't necessarily agree with his father's way of thinking, as he put it, 'father has really fallen since he got into that Sacred Gear,' but there wasn't much he could really do. So it would be as it will, with Issei starting his first day of the new school year at Kuoh Academy.

A/N: A few brief things I wanted to point out. Issei's talent is exceptionally high, yes, which I feel is both reasonable and desirable. I prefer a very strong protagonist and I feel that nine years of development under the Archangel Michael and God himself while using the strongest Longinus should be enough to get him to ten-wing status. As of right now, the only ones Issei's officially met in Heaven are Michael and Uriel. This is for a few reasons. I wanted Issei's reveal in Heaven to be a surprise for most of them, though Uriel had to know for the cards, and I wanted Issei to be canonical age when he met Gabriel. I find it really strange when Gabriel falls in love with Issei or vice versa if the two meet while Issei is a young child. That forms more of a sibling or parental relationship, like what Issei has with Yahweh and Michael, rather than a romantic one. God's personality is another question some of you might be wondering about. I decided it would be kind of boring, to say the least, if God spoke in some regal, Holy Father-esque tone the whole time, so I wanted to make him interesting. Besides, he's God. It should be no trouble for him to adjust his speech to whoever his host is. Issei was young and needed to experience his youth, so Yahweh acted more immaturely to help Issei experience that.