24 Violence of Heaven 2.0

A few weeks later Ezekiel was handed his own deck of Brave Saint Cards. Similar to the Evil Piece System of the Devils, they were able to reincarnate other races into Angels.

True to his words, Ezekiel made sure to implement rules that had to be followed. In contrast to the devils it was only the seraphs that had these cards for now and it was easy to make them accept. None of Heavens current leaders wanted to force or scam other people into becoming an angel and even if the reincarnated individuals would become subordinates, they were granted a lot more freedom.

Aside from the jokers outside the normal decks, there were 13 cards in total which gave Ezekiel the chance to reincarnate 12 individuals since he was the King. He did not plan use them on more than 5 people for now. Firstly, he wasn't in any need to actually gather subordinates and secondly, he would live for a very long time. It was just a waste to use them for the sake of using them.

"Are you sure about this Ezekiel?" Jeanne answered hopefully.

"What is with that face, didn't I ask both of you right now?" Ezekiel sighed.

"You did, but it is still surprising. I never expected to live past 100 years." Jeanne answered with Asia nodding along behind her.

"Don't make it more difficult than necessary. Let me ask you again. Do you, Jeanne and Asia accept being reincarnated as Angels?" Ezekiel asked seriously as he pulled out his Ace and Ten. His deck was Hearts due to the existence that was his Big Sister. It was not like he minded either of them and if it made her happy, why not?

"I accept!" Jeanne responded without her earlier hesitation.

"Me as well!" Asia didn't want to be left behind. She found friends and family in Jeanne and Ezekiel and she wanted to stay together with them as much as possible.

Ezekiel nodded and let the cards sink into their body. They were soon engulfed in bright light that took a few minutes to die down. Just like the Evil Pieces, the Brave Saints were a masterpiece. Changing one's body in just a moment and increasing the person's power and lifespan at the same time all without pain or repercussions, was a big feat.

"How do you feel?"

"Stronger." Jeanne answered as they inspected their bodies.

"You are young, there won't be any outward changes happening. Try to feel your strength, new power or think about your wings," Ezekiel instructed, brightening their expressions at the last part.

It only took a moment for Asia and Jeanne to spread their wings. They were pure white and a lot smaller than Ezekiel's. He hadn't seen anyone like him among the other angels. He was sure it was caused because of his mixed heritage. Asia unexpectedly had two pairs of wings, normally signifying above average strength for angels. It was probably because of her sacred gear and her talent for healing.

Jeanne on the other hand even had three pairs of wings. Ezekiel was less surprised at that since he knew how strong Jeanne became after her training and her Sacred Gear probably played a part as well.

After inspecting themselves thoroughly, they turned toward Ezekiel and he knew exactly what they wanted to do.

"Alright, but make sure no uninvolved people see you while flying around."

They quickly nodded before making their way out of the room.

Ezekiel knew that Jeanne was strong and maybe could even take care of Diodora on her own. But he wasn't taking any chances and wanted to give some people the chance to reincarnate regardless. The other three people on his list needed more to convince than a simple offer.

-o-

"Are you sure about this, Ezekiel?" Ewald answered stoically with some hesitation.

"Yes I am. And as I said, I have no interest to limit your freedom or choices. Just give me a hand when I call for it and keep in mind that your actions would directly reflect on me." Ezekiel anwered.

"Ezekiel, that is too lax. You should know better how to deal with subordinates." Ewald replied.

"If I wanted subordinates that is. Honestly, I have two reasons to offer this to you. Firstly, you are a pillar of the church for a reason and the church would benefit from this. Secondly, you deserve it. You work tirelessly for the church and Heaven, be it training the young ones or dealing with threats. It is time for you to take a step back while your teachings bear fruit." Ezekiel truthfully replied. Ewald always gave it his all and put his own faction as his priority. Sure, his views are rather radical, but he was still one of the strongest exorcists.

"But we both know that my views of the Devils and Fallen Angels don't align with yours." Ewald pointed out.

"I don't need you to become their friend. Just give me your word to keep an open mind and don't go against the alliance. You will see that not every Devil is evil. And if it is in a rating game or one that went stray, you can show them that we are not to be trifled with."

Ewald nodded and accepted the offered card.

-o-

"Come in." A deep voice rang out as Ezekiel stepped into the room of the world's strongest human.

"How are you, Vasco?" Ezekiel inquired. He liked this overly muscular old man. He was the closest he had to a grandfather, even if they were not actually related.

"Oh, it's you Ezekiel!" He quickly rose to his feet and grabbed Ezekiel in a hug that felt more like a hydraulic press.

"I have been fine. But old age is catching up." Vasco answered shamelessly. Sure, a human that can only crush hills with his fists instead of mountains sounds pitiful.

"If that is what is on your mind, how about a deal?" Ezekiel grinned.

"Hah, you want to reincarnate me as well?" Vasco answered in question.

Ezekiel's face went dark for a second. Didn't his uncles say they would keep out of his business? Maybe he could ask them for some pointers while training with them. It has been a while they moved their muscles anyway.

"It won't hurt to ask, does it?" Ezekiel responded. "What did you tell them, why didn't you accept?"

"I want to die as human, Ezekiel." Vasco answered. It sounded noble that he wasn't greedy for more power or a longer life.

But Ezekiel thought otherwise: "And why is that? I would understand if you said you had lived enough or seen enough bloodshed or whatever. In the end it was called reincarnation for a reason. You would die as a human and get reborn as angel."

Vasco rolled his eyes at his play of words, but Ezekiel continued: "These distinctions between races are the problem in the first place. In the end Angels, Devils or Humans aren't all that different. A few different powers and fancy wings for us, but overall, we look the same."

"Ezekiel, you might be right, but…"

"Alright, I know that won't work with you. But there are other reasons. I regard you as family and would like you to be part of my life for a bit longer than just a few more years. Furthermore, I plan to bring changes to the church and Heaven. I need reliable people at that time." Ezekiel tried to convince him.

Vasco was really considering the offer now. Sure, he said he wanted to die as human, but this was just a fickle wish of his, because he thought he had seen all there was to see and done what he could do. Hearing that Ezekiel was about to bring changes honestly excited him a little. There were a few things he was unsatisfied with but could do nothing about in the end. And just like Ezekiel, he regarded him as his family.

"Another thing…" Ezekiel explained his oncoming deal with the devils and what Diodora did. To say that Vasco was angry would be an understatement. Vasco personally knew some of these women. He always thought it was a shame, but he only thought they were excommunicated and now lived a quiet life. Now hearing what this little punk did, made him angrier than he ever was in his life.

"Give me that card Ezekiel." Vasco replied. The pressure that old man exuded right now was no joke.

"You are sure?" Ezekiel wanted to make sure that he didn't do it only on a whim. He knew that Vasco was a man of his word and it was only situational that it was preferable to join.

"I am." Vasco replied shortly. He knew what Ezekiel intended with the last question, but it seemed he only needed a wake-up call. He sank too far into his old man mentality.

Ezekiel nodded and pushed the Hearts Jack into Vasco's chest. Light began to flood the room, far stronger than it was with everyone else. After it died down, Ezekiel was left speechless.

Vasco looked younger as he stood there with his five pairs of pure white wings out in the open. It even seemed as if his hair began to grow again. Holy energy rolled off his body as if to drown everything else. Even his muscles pulsed slightly.

The violence of Heaven was reborn. And he jumped even above his former prime. As expected of the one who reached humanities limits.

Ezekiel's only thought was: 'What have I created?', before grinning slightly.

-o-

She was always a young mischievous girl. That still didn't change now that she was in her teenage years. She was praised as a magical genius, just like her friend. Since they were close in age and talent, it was easy to get along for both.

She always had a fascination of nobles and the royal family and dreamt to one day be one of them. That was until she learned of one truth. A truth that would make her realize how close she was to her dream and at the same time, that it would never come true.

She was a child birthed between a member of the royal family and a magician. But it was not meant for her to be a princess and she was abandoned by the royal family.

"Damn, these bastards!" She kicked a chair while swearing. "But I will-…"

Her thoughts were stopped by someone knocking on the door of her room. She was living in her quarters in the Golden Dawn Magician organization. Normally people would leave each other alone when the were in their private rooms and that is why she was surprised. She was even more surprised when she opened the door and a tall, young man stood in front of her.

"Could I ask for some of your time, miss?"

-o-

A magic circle materialized besides Ezekiel's ear and someone started to speak.

"They accepted?" Ezekiel answered.

"They did." Michael answered.

"Then it's time to have some fun. Vasco seemed eager for a good fight after regaining a youthful body." Ezekiel laughed, but his eyes were serious. His line-up would never lose against some spoiled brat and he was sure these women would be freed in the end. But it was important to strike fear into some of these fools. They hid behind the Devil Kings, but the Devil Kings had no say in their matters.

"Maybe if I would…" Ezekiel began to mutter.

"…" Michael chose to ignore whatever his nephew was planning and just ended the call.