I'm going to have two "Introduction-type" chapters. The story will change drastically from Ch. 1 to 2, and once more from 2 to 3 - from 3+ it will hold steady.

I'll be taking a lot of liberties with the mythologies, if you're a nutter this ain't for you.

Inspired by "The Anvil", by author PlaguedAmbition, I highly recommend it (though sadly it's discontinued). The story "Goddamnit! I'm God, Damnit!", by Thewackness135, deserves some credit as well (and my recommendation). I'm also taking inspiration from a book and a webnovel, both secret - try to guess which ones!

"The world was young, the mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
No words were laid on stream or stone,
When God woke and walked alone." - Heavenly Record of Origins 1:1.

Death had claimed his friends eons ago, he alone remained. He had risen beyond trifling matters such as aging. He had, against all odds, become a god. No, he had become The God.

It took a long time for him to reach this peak of power. He had to make many sacrifices along the way, and so did others. During the Final Shinobi War, the greatest sacrifice of them all came to pass when all mortal beings perished. Fish, birds and men were all wiped out because of the madness of a godess.

Kaguya's power was too great to defeat without unacceptable collateral damage, so the Shinobi Alliance and their allies were unable to win a decisive victory against her. Ultimately, she decided that if humanity was going to be stuck in a bloody cycle of hatred forever, and were unwilling to cooperate with her infinite Tsukuyomi, then in the long run less blood would be spilled if she put a stop to all life now.

With her powers running rampant across the world, it was thrown into chaos. Mountains crumbled, civilisations disappeared, entire landscapes were made into barren wastelands. With nothing left to lose, Naruto Uzumaki, set about killing her with the aid of his fellow inheritor of the great Sage of the Six Path's legacy, Sasuke Uchiha. After many days and many nights worth of figthing, he managed to complete his self-given mission. Once the Goddess was destroyed, along with the rest of the world in the aftermath of the battle, the soon-to-be-god could focus on grieving and seeking greater understanding of his abilities and the nature of energy.

As his power and understanding grew, so did his vitality - giving him more time to train. Eventually, through a combination of overwhelming power and vitality, he was able to cast of his mortal shackles and ascend into true godhood.

"The light of sun and star and moon
Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
There shone forever fair and bright. " - Heavenly Record of Origins 1:2.

It was night all over the world, as if the sun had gone out. The moon was not reflecting any light, the only light on the sky was the dim shine from the stars. The world was a barren wasteland, the oceans had long since dried up and not even the most stalwart archaeologist would be able to find trace of the previous civilisations. It had been far too long since life had a place on this earth.

"Well, I'd be glad to change that. It would be nice to have some company" he spoke out loud, a habit he'd picked up during his years of solitude. It was nice to hear some sound, even if it was just his own voice. "Let's see, they will need a stable environment… air to breathe, water to drink, things to eat… animals, berries and such. Alright, how hard can it be?" smiling to himself as he turned to a deep gorge.

With an impressive display of his command of Water Release, or more so an impressive display of how much power he can cram into a technique, he set upon creating the new world's first ocean. Water flooded the wastelands, filling it with clear water at speeds that crumbled anything in its path. And so the first ocean was formed.

The dim light of the stars shone down on him, a reminder of the apocalyptic war that destroyed the world. His features hardened; he was fiercely determined to not start off the new world's life in darkness. He looked to the dead sun and reached into his power reserves, grabbed all he could handle and proceeded to release the greatest burst of power since the end of the Final Shinobi War:

"Let there be light."

The sun shone with a particular, but welcome, intensity today. Certain trees had been soaking in the great energy output of the young sun, changing them. Their leaves became a radiant gold, their bark hardened and they grew tall and fair to become the pride of the forests.

Having already created various animal species of all kinds, from the ones that will majestically rule the air to the ones that will merely hide in bogs, all animals he could remember from his time he had recreated. Beyond that he made some of his own, to fill up his new world a bit.

"Now, the new people.. Should they be like humans from my time or should I change them? Perhaps a bit less… bloodthirsty" He thought back to all the wars, how there would constantly be tension between all the nations, even the allied ones. Shinobi were definitely not ideal templates.

He thought back to how he had to win over all his friends - often involving some life-death situation. Even Iruka had to be won over through a battle and would not have anything to do with him before that incident. How most had been very distrusting of him, often outright disliking or hating him. It would be nice to be with, well, nice people. After a life of hardship that can't be an unreasonable wish. "A gentle and kind soul it will be" he said with a small smile as he slapped his two hands together, with a great golden light emanating from his palms.

Creation of All Things creates the body, the vessel, to hold the soul. Then he moulds the Yang part of his chakra and lets his power course through the previously dead, or rather unactivated, chakra system. The being, not quite human but similar in looks, after being touched by God's power started glowing a bright golden colour.

His eyes fluttered open, golden eyelashes no longer hiding the sapphire blue eyes beneath. He looked much like his creator. God stood above him with a wide smile, happy that his new friend is alive and well. This was his first time creating sentient life on this level, he had only messed around with animals previously.

As God stood there, softly smiling down on him, something seemed to click in the newest existence in the world, "Father?" He asked, the words rolling off the soft baritone came very unexpectedly for poor God. He jumped a bit, then quickly regained his bearings.

After a surprisingly short moment of thought on the matter, he replied "Yes," and smiled even more lovingly "I am your Father", the way a father smiles at his son. "Your name will be Michael. Bear your name with pride." He never had a chance at a family in the old world but in this new world things would be different.

"You will soon meet your brothers and sisters. None of them will be as strong as you, none of them will be as wise as you. You will be their leader, you will be their big brother. Do you understand, Michael?" The newly-made Angel said yes with a nod, "I would expect nothing less from my son. Especially if he's going to be my right-hand man!" God laid his hand on Michael's shoulder with a grin, causing Michael to smile back in a carefree manner.

As far as he knew, it was only him and his Father in the entire world. There was no such thing as wars and there never had been. Evil didn't exist because there were no people to carry out evil deeds, only innocent animals and his Father. These are the memories Michael treasures the most.

"A king he was on carven throne
In many-pillared halls of stone
With golden roof and silver floor,
And runes of power upon the door." - Heavenly Record of Origins 1:3.

His new people needed quarters, and God wanted to provide. This new species of pseudo-humans, the angels, could start their own civilisation but he wanted to keep them close. He created a beautiful realm above ground, where they would be safe from all harm. It resides in the same dimension as earth, yet at the same time it doesn't. If you know how and where to look for it you will gain entry, otherwise it will remain hidden.

Michael fell into his role with extraordinary grace. He had been leading his fellow angels Gabriel, a ditzy but very kind woman, Azazel, an eccentric man but fiercely intelligent and helpful to his peers, and finally Lucifer, a passionate young man with great ambition.

Sometimes, not very often but it happened, God wished to spend some time alone and would retreat to his personal living space in Heaven, the top floor. Below it is where all the others would remain while he rested. Heaven currently has two floors: the top floor is used as God's personal quarters and the first is for everyone else.

Heaven was not only built by God, the angels gladly toiled as well. Everyone wanted to help build their new home. God had spent some time teaching what little he knew of architecture, masonry, metalwork and such to those few interested. Eventually their knowledge and skill came to far eclipse his, and as such Heaven became the most beautiful thing in all of existence. It was likely the most beautiful thing in all of the new and old world's history.

There were times his people wanted to do expeditions down to the surface, and sometimes Michael wished to ask for his guidance during what he regarded as emergencies, or when his children felt sad or angry they and sought his counsel; he was not always immediately present. To solve these issues and to be able to guide his children when they take to the surface God invented the system of praying. Everyone wins: he will always be connected to those he loves and those he loves can always reach him whenever and wherever they need to.

"Unwearied then were God's folk;
The angels harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang." - Heavenly Record of Origins 1:4.

The realm of Heaven was fair, nothing on the surface could compete in terms of beauty. Heaven was also powerful and free of darkness, the mighty angels stood as the lone force in the world - with their Father leading them.

God created a new lifeform in the Gardens of Eden: mankind. His firstborn children fell in love with this creation more than any other, and God formally tasked them to serve and guide Men.

The first of mankind was named Adam, a man. He did not possess knowledge of any kind. He did not know why he carried out the actions he did, he was almost as much an animal driven by instinct as a dog, with only the barest amount of consciousness. The reason for this was simple: if given too much freedom darkness will take root. Not even his beloved children the angels had that freedom.

If not for a discussion with one of his more insightful sons, Lucifer, things would have stayed this way, but Lucifer saw a future in which Men were free to make their own choices.

Lucifer was kneeling before his father. The Archangel, one of the greatest in Heaven, was pleading the case for humanity's freedom "Please father, all my brothers and sisters love this creation of yours. I would not ask this of you if I thought it would bring humanity down a dark path, ultimately harming them." He looked his father in the eyes, blazing sapphire meeting a softly glowing blue that appeared to contain entire stars "I believe allowing Men to make their own decisions is for their own good!"

God thought about what had been said. It was true that in the Old World a man's freedom was valued beyond almost anything else. Yet… "If humanity is given the freedom to do as they please, they will inevitably perform deeds of great evil." When he spoke it was awe-inspiring as he spoke with many voices at once - the powerful sound echoed throughout the halls. A small frown settled on God's face as Lucifer kept his defiant stare "Do you truly understand what that means?"

"Freedom is worth any price." Came the dark and throaty reply, causing the frown on God's face to deepen. "There can not be good without evil. How can humanity be regarded as good if they have never felt the temptations of evil? Surely, father, you see that this is the only way." Gesticulating to emphasise the need of the contrast of 'evil' for there to be a 'good', he fell silent. Having made his case it was now up to his Father to decide.

Mulling over the words of his son for only an instant longer, before replacing his frown with a smile, he spoke "You are truly a brilliant son. I have sons and daughters who have surpassed me in: masonry, architecture, sewing, calligraphy, music, smithing, and the list goes on. But none of my many children have ever had the understanding, bravery, and love required to correct me when it comes to Creation - not even Michael." God walked up to Lucifer and helped him to his feet, pride twinkling clear as day in his eyes "It will be as you say: I shall make a tree whose fruit will contain a small amount of knowledge. Mankind will eat from this fruit and over time will become a fully sentient being."

Lucifer smiled a brilliant smile at his father "Thank you, I am certain my brothers and sisters will be most pleased as well."

"Speaking of them, let's go and visit the ones who just returned from the surface"

The Tree of Knowledge grew tall and proud in the Garden of Eden, bearing the fruit of many juicy apples. This very tree was known to the angels as the Forbidden Tree, as it bore forbidden fruit. It was only to be eaten by humans, so said God and his word was law.

God had forbidden angels from eating from the tree since it would give you knowledge indiscriminately of who you were. It could make an ant clever, if it managed to eat enough. The problem was their natural limitations. If angels wanted to ascend, to gain more sentience and become a greater being, they could indeed eat from the Forbidden Fruit - in doing so they would destroy parts of their very soul. If one tried to force an ascension it would result in the permanent corruption of their soul, hence the fruit was very strictly forbidden.

A bright light entered the garden, a pale hand grasped the Forbidden Fruit and a set of pearly whites sank their teeth into it. Chewing and swallowing, the radiant being felt the boundaries of his being, his mind and soul, expand; this is what he sought. True power, true freedom.

With an excited look he quickly moved on to another fruit, devouring it in much the same manner and receiving much the same effects. He would eat another, then another, then another… until finally the great tree was barren of any more fruit.

This would be the end of the fair and peaceful era of the angels - the birth of the First Evil.

Lucifer had set the realms ablaze with the flames of war. No one was expecting this, not even God. Few could fight back.

Lucifer had become something more than any of his brothers and was now on the edge of the divine. Already a powerful Archangel before his mad ascension, it would either take overwhelming force or a cunning plan to take him down

As if that wasn't bad enough, Lucifer had started kidnapping angels and corrupting them; he would twist their very nature of being until one could no longer call it an angel. They would be powerful, yes, but lose all sense of morals and purity. Apparently, they also reproduced like flies, something their leader encouraged so his army would grow.

This was the start of a great war, one the angels weren't equipped to fight. They weren't as savage and brutal as their opponents. They did not have much training when it came to war or even simple martial arts - and why should they? It was exceedingly rare for any fights to happen, and none of them had ever gotten either combatant killed.

The demons, as they had been named, were better suited for war. And every life taken was an immense loss to the closely-knit community of angels, and to their Father.

"We need to equip ourselves to deal with Lucifer's rebellion, he has already kidnapped hundreds of angels and converted them to his ways! Brothers and sisters, I know it's difficult to accept but that man is no longer one of us, he has abandoned us for some mad quest that - in the end - will kill or enslave us." Spoke Michael, the leader of his kind, to the small group of angels gathered for the meeting. It was a crisis-meeting, which was a first for Heaven, and so all the Archangels and gathered: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Raguel, Sariel, Remiel, Raziel, Uriel and Azazel.

The Seraphs were the ones granted the most power and so were angel's primary hope for ending the war quickly. Their misled - former - brother only had six generals with comparable power. The angels also had a far greater army right now, unprepared as they might be. Lucifer was outnumbered and outmatched. All of this was without taking God into account - with hm their victory is assured, right?

Smacked his fist against the table, gaining everyone's attention, one angel stood up from his previously seated position "Naturally this can not go on any longer. Lucifer has betrayed us. He has broken the rules of Heaven and Father. He has kidnapped and even killed our brethren!" His wings shone with a great light as his eyes scanned the members present "There is no excuse for what he has done. He must face justice - we must kill him!" Raguel was far more heated than Michael, being the Angel of Justice, but many angels felt like he did. Lucifer had indeed caused pain like no other being in history.

Sitting down after having said his piece, the Angel of Justice listened contentedly to the murmurs of agreement around the great gilded table. One stunningly beautiful woman rose from her seat, a sparkling iridescent light emanated from the halo above her head, in a way no other angel could duplicate. "Please, please, settle down. Lucifer has wronged us all greatly, and even taken some of our dearly beloved from us forever, but if there is even a slight chance that he can return to the fair and true man he once were… should we at least not consider it?" These were the calming words of the Archangel Uriel, Angel of Beauty and Light.

"Brothers and sisters, calm yourselves. Our sister speaks the truth. If we can help purge Lucifer of whatever madness has consumed him, then we have to do so. Lucifer one of the strongest Archangels in Heaven, there is no way he would fall like this! We can bring him back, I am sure of it! We have to do it and-!" Ramiel, the Archangel of Hope, was naturally not one to give up on one of his beloved so easily, unfortunately he was interrupted.

"I will deal with the monster myself." Sariel, the Angel of Death, was possibly the only other angel who wished to see Lucifer dead as much as Raguel. "For his crimes against our fellow brothers and sisters, against the still growing lifeform mankind, against Father, he has been sentenced to death." The death angel's hard blue eyes looked over the assembly, daring anyone to disagree.

A smile in place and a hand on his hip, yet another Archangel stood up. It was the Angel of Sacrifice, Azazel "I agree with Uriel and Ramiel. I truly loved the man Lucifer once was, as I know we all did. This is a very sensitive subject that we should approach with a bit more tact..." He gave a pointed look to Sariel as he said the last part, the Angel of Death simply stared right back with his unrelenting steely gaze "Anyway, Michael, I would like to request permission to leave the decision of this matter in yours and the rest of the Archangel's hands."

Everyone present was shocked at this, such a blatant act of abandoning one's duty had never been seen - and to do so now in the time of their greatest crisis to date! What was the man thinking?!

"Azazel, why would you ask this? You are an Archangel, your input could be invaluable. You are the most clever among us, there must be something behind this." Michael looked at Azazel pleadingly, asking him to explain.

No longer smiling, Azazel now sighed "Lucifer was like like us. He was a good man with a good soul. Something unknown happened that turned him evil - there could be a hundred reasons why but it's important we find out what." He pointed towards Michael and with sad eyes continued It's important because more angel's might be corrupted the same way he was… and Lucifer was not the strongest among us, you are, yet look at the grief he has caused." Grim expressions settled on everyone's visages as they realised what he was saying. If Lucifer's corruption happened by accident or unwillingly and the same thing happened to Michael… only Father would be able to stop him.

"Of course, please hurry, Azazel. This will be your highest priority, put everything else on hold. Whatever you need for your project you will get! Please get to work immediately." And with that, Azazel bowed and left, leaving the now very tense room and its occupants who all shared the same thought: "What if more angels are turned? What if Michael is corrupted?"

What if I'm next?

A light cough broke them out of the short period of silence. It was Archangel Raziel, Angel of Mysteries and the wisest among her kind "Father will ultimately decide the traitors fate. Before anyone leaves Heaven to smite Lucifer we should tell him our concerns regarding our former brother's sudden turn to evil. I trust we all agree Father will know what to do."

A beautiful blonde woman with her hands clasped together snapped open her eyes "Sister, I just spoke with Father… I told him that we were split on the matter: one side wants to k-kill Lucifer and the other wants to save him." Gabriel, Messenger of God, had the strongest link to God and could speak to him as easily as she could speak to a person in the same room. She was usually a bubbly, airheaded, woman but the seriousness of the meeting and talks of killing her former brother was too much.

"And what did Father say, dear sister?" Coaxed Ramiel "He wants us to rescue and heal our beloved brother, is that not so?" The tall, strong, somewhat airheaded angel asked.

"Actually, yes, he wants us to approach Lucifer and see, if possible, get him to come back. If that's not possible he wants us to try and find out what made him change into… what he is today…" Raguel frowned as he mulled over her words. There was something else.

"What are we to do with the traitor once we have completed or failed to find out what changed him into a monster?" Gabriel flinched at Sariel's words, causing Ramiel to snap his head in his direction and open his mouth to berate him.

"Father told me that we h-have to k-kill him after that…" As Gabriel teared up, Raguel's sense of justice was satisfied - as he knew he would be, Father is the very essence of Justice, after all.

Michael stood from his position at one of the ends of the table "And so Father has spoken, we will try diplomacy with Lucifer before we go on the offensive. We will send out three Archangels, with a choir of battle-ready angels behind them, to talk to Lucifer." He pointed to the three Seraphim chosen for the task "Ramiel, you will lead this mission. With you will be Raphael and Gabriel."

Raguel stood up immediately "Elder brother, I must protest! Neither Raphael nor Gabriel are fighters and in a fight between Ramiel and Lucifer, I would say that latter wins. I understand that they will have many lower-ranking angels with them, but I'm sure Lucifer will be surrounded by the angels he has kidnapped and corrupted as well. I also realise the value in having Raphael, the Angel of Healing, in a fight… but if your opponent doesn't give you time to heal it doesn't matter!" He leaned over the desk, his heavenly robe had been replaced by silver armor ever since Lucifer started his rebellion, he rested his heavy frame on his arms as he continued "Send another powerful fighter. I volunteer to go. I would also ensure that proper justice-"

"I am very sorry brother Raguel, but I can't send you. You are needed here in Heaven to make sure angels follow the rules set by Father. Your power is also needed here now that we are sending out so many Seraphim, to ward off Lucifer and his generals." He looked to the three he wished to send out and saw that it was indeed as Raguel said, only one of them had any combat ability to speak of. "However, I will follow your wise counsel and send out another Archangel with the group. Sariel, please ensure they all come back home."

With that, everyone were more or less satisfied. Sariel is one of the mightier Archangels, as he held dominion over the most feared power of all. Ramiel is no slouch either, God had once said that Hope was the greatest power in the world.

It had been a disaster. Lucifer was powerful beyond anything they had seen before. He was also insane, he attacked them as soon as he spotted them. Great shockwaves tore up the fair lands as he attacked, forests were reduced to ash as he exhaled. He was a savage… he was no longer Archangel Lucifer, the Light-Bringer. His powers, his appearance, his soul - everything - was twisted beyond recognition.

Sariel was first to fall. Overconfidence in his abilities quickly changed to shock when his powers of death were unable to penetrate some form of magic barrier that enshrouded Lucifer like a second skin. His death was quick, erased from existence by flames so hot he was disintegrated.

Ramiel shouted for them to fall back to Heaven, he would cover their escape. He fought defensively while retreating. The Angel of Hope managed to dodge one earth-shattering blow but was caught by the follow-up. The impact made a sound like someone dropped a bomb right beside him, and it probably felt like it as well. He was far too injured to move, and on the verge of death, when Lucifer threw a weak fireball to finish him off. Ramiel, the Angel of Hope, died burning to death with all his bones broken.

"Gabriel! You have to get back to Heaven and tell the others! I can hold him off for a while, go!" Raphael shouted, crying over the loss of her brothers - all three of them.

"Raphael, come with me! It's not far, we can make it now! Please, hurry!" The buxom blonde cried out for her sister, but Raphael had already turned towards the rapidly approaching Lucifer.

"Please, Gabriel, hurry."

That day Lucifer was declared to be an unforgivable evil and was given the cursed title Devil.

Meeting his hated enemy on the battlefield was almost a relief for God, finally he could put this war to rest. He did not know what caused his son to be so foolish as to appear before him, he knew very well who would win this battle, but he would make sure to seize the opportunity.

Many lives had been lost over the many years of this pointless war. Others had been made into battle-hardened soldiers, able to kill without a second thought - something they had done a lot of. This is what he wanted to prevent when he made his new world, and it all started with him. Lucifer, his own son, had betrayed him. He had started taken steps on the path towards divinity, but it's like Lucifer's path was muddy and it had corrupted his mind and soul.

"I'm sure you're wondering, dear Father, why I'm here about to face down the mightiest being in existence all by myself?" With gleaming red eyes and a cackle, the deranged demigod gave him a big grin "Well you see… I'm not exactly all alone here"

God just remained calm, he could bring an army of his minions if he so wanted, it would make no difference. The generals were all fighting his Archangels at the moment so the ones he could have to fight would be relatively powerless.

"Lucifer, do you have any last words?" God made a ball of light that grew until it was an arm's length in size and height. The ball of energy swirled with many different colors, some yet to be seen in either Heaven or earth. This was a truly divine power and it made Lucifer sweat a bit, it would shatter his defences like glass.

"Heh, yes, I do! I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God! I will- urk!" He was interrupted by God releasing his divine energy in the form of a blast that sounded with an earth-shaking roar.

"W-why, why haven't you come?! He will kill me if you wait any longer! Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry! Aagh!" The injured, and clearly insane, Devil yelled out across the battlefield as the extent of his injuries became clear. The blast had taken his right arm and leg, along with part of his hip and stomach. Deep red blood flowed freely as he laid on the ground, squirming and shouting for this mystery person to hurry, the only thing keeping him alive were his divine powers.

"How you have fallen, Light-Bringer, son of the dawn!" As God charged up another divine blast, a presence made itself known.

"Hold it." The unrevealed person said and, God turned to look at him immediately dispelled the technique in shock.

Impossible.

Fighting the generals of Lucifer was as brutal as one could imagine. They were not only powerful, they were also cruel and bloodthirsty. Some of them also showed great intelligence, showing that they were more than mere beasts.

They were in luck when Raguel encountered Belphegor, Lucifer's aspect of Sloth, and managed to kill him quickly. Shows that laziness doesn't pay off.

Now they were equal in numbers: Five Archangels and five generals. They were all too busy to help each other, unfortunately, but from what Michael could sense no one had died yet - on either side. He did know that Father was with them, and that Lucifer was on the battlefield as well, they were bound to meet and finally this horrible war could be put to an end. Father could then help the others against the generals and it would all-!

Woosh! Was the sound of his enemy's blade cutting too close to his face for comfort. The ugly sword, made of some dark iron, managed to cut a few hairs as he moved out of the way. "That's annoying. Stand still you pissant! If you don't I'll make your death really fucking painful, do you understand?!" His enemy was the top general in Lucifer's army, the Aspect of Wrath, Satan.

Feeling his energy flow within himself, he redirected a part of it with ease to form a great spear made of light. "You are sick, former brother of mine. I'm sorry I have to do this to you. Please forgive me." He said with a grimace. This was not his first time killing but hopefully with the war about to end, it would be his last.

A powerful aura radiated from him as his spear grew larger and larger, Satan did not dare approach out of fear of getting into melee when his opponent has such a weapon. When the spear was so large that only a family of giants would be able to wield it, if it had any real mass, he tossed it towards him. The lightspear travelled fast and made contact with the ground.

BOOM!

Michael was thrown to the ground as a massive shockwave hit him. It cleared the battlefield of smoke and dust, allowing him to see that his brothers and sisters, along with their enemies had also been thrown to the ground. ".My spear should not have caused such an explosion." The only one with power like that was Father.

As he looked towards the part of the destroyed wasteland where God had been fighting Lucifer, he could see Lucifer lying in a pool of his own blood but not his Father. "Who is he fighting that is forcing him to use so much power? Did Lucifer have a secret weapon stored away, a seventh general?"

BOOM!

Another shockwave travelled over the battlefield, this time he managed to see where it came from - if only barely. It came from above, but not just a bit above ground like normal, they had left the planet completely.

Shocked at this revelation, he thought about the fact that the shockwaves had travelled from outside the atmosphere and were still forcing him flat on his stomach. He, and the remaining survivors, were only able to watch as God fought what seemed like… his equal.

"Blasphemy!"

Eventually, the battle came to a stop when a supreme, dazzling, light covered the entire world, forcing them to cover their eyes. When they were able to open their eyes again they saw huge chunks of earth rocketing up towards the two godly combatants. More and more earth travelled up there until it took on a sphere-like form. The sphere grew bigger and bigger, eventually becoming truly massive in size. It shone with an intense, divine, light. Showering them all in it like a second sun.

The progress suddenly grew to a halt, the miniplanet had reached an acceptable mass it seemed. Time to wait for Father to come back and help finish off the rest, then maybe they will have peace again-

"No! Father! No, no, no, no, no! What's happening?!" Cried a hysterical Gabriel, her voice was heard all across the battlefield. Michael instantly flew to her, having regained mobility. He idly noted that Mammon, the Aspect of Greed, the Demon she had been fighting was still alive. He quickly formed a mighty spear of light, many times beyond that which Mammon had been facing previously, and ended his life.

"Gabriel, what's wrong? You mentioned Father, he should be on his way now, right?" Questioned Michael hastily, holding her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes.

"Michael, I-I can't feel the connection any more. Father is gone!" Michael wasn't able to process what she said at first. What she is implying is impossible - it's damn near blasphemy! But… for her not to feel their link meant that either she's incapacitated… or he is.

"Gabriel, do not tell the others yet. Keep fighting. You know that Father is the most powerful and wise being there is, do not doubt him now. I will look for him by that great moon he created!"

"The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in God's halls." - Heavenly Record of Origins 1:5

He was not there, in fact he was nowhere on the battlefield at all. He was gone and it hurt to say. Eventually the angels all had to return to their home, with or without their father. Michael was the one who ordered them to head home, saving anyone else from having to make the difficult call to stop searching for their Father.

The angels still needed a leader, now more than ever. Michael had been created for this very task, naturally it fell to him to pick up after his Father. To regulate the flow of human souls into heaven, which was also a relatively new thing, in terms of angelic lifespans; mankind now lived on earth and numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

He was also the one who was forced to deal with the aftermath of God's death, as every single angel, no matter how powerful, could feel it. Perhaps not to Gabriel's extent but they all could feel a part of them shut down. Many of his brothers' and sisters' wings turned black in hatred and grief as they realized what had happened, and they fell out of Heaven to earth. There they named themselves the Grigori, the fallen angels, and formed a mighty faction of their own. Chief among them was former Archangel Azazel, now Governor-general of the Grigori.

Michael still ordered search parties to scout around the world, the Moon, in the oceans. Anywhere there was a chance of finding even a clue, they would go. But so far they had found nothing.

He frowned to himself, at least the pain does dull a bit over time. And a lot of time had passed. A thousand years used to pass by so fast before the Great War. Now… "I'm not sure I want to live to see another one."