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. The known Old Deus are Artosh (deceased), who was the 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. 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. 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.

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, namely 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".