Old Deus

The Old Deus (神霊種, オールドデウス) is the first ranked race of the Exceed. It consists of the old gods, who lost their status after the Great War, where Tet became the One True God. They are beings of great longevity and power. Jibril noted that it would take at least 200 Flügels to challenge a single god, and even then the chance of losing would be high. According to Izuna, during the wartime, only Flügel and Exmachina had ever succeeded in killing a god. The known Old Deus so far are Artosh (deceased), Creator of Flügels, Okein (鍛神, オーケイン), Creator of Dwarfs, and Kainasu (森神, カイナース), Creator of Elves.

One of the gods used an arrogant and ornate speech style by stating "Question" before proceeding when conversing with Tet. He was described as an imperfect presence with limited powers. The old Deus now resides on the moon after the Great War for reasons unknown.

Historically, the gods were the ones who launched the great war to fight over the title of the One True God, using their creations as weapons, such as the Flügel, to kill other gods. The gods eventually lost their will to continue warring as they died needlessly without enjoying their lives. Tet emerged above the Old Deus as he was the only god who had abstained from the war, and became the One True God.

Etymology
Deus (Latin pronunciation: [ˈdeːʊs]) is Latin for "god" or "deity".