As retainers of the War God, we Flügel have always run rampant in this world. How could we possibly encounter an enemy we can't handle?
Recalling their earlier thoughts, the Flügel girls felt extremely ashamed. Not only had they encountered an enemy they couldn't handle, but they also had to ask their temporary master for help. For the proud Flügel, this was a great humiliation.
Thinking of this, they couldn't help but glare at the Old Deus before them.
"How dare you obstruct our actions! Not even a god can be forgiven!"
Before the Flügel legion, leaning against a divine forge and shouldering a giant, ancient hammer, stood a burly old man with pale flames burning in his eyes. He was the creator of the Dwarfs, the Forge God Ocain.
At this moment, the old man was bare-chested, his hair and beard bristling with rage. He looked furious.
It was no wonder. Anyone who had a group of robbers suddenly burst into their home and brazenly discuss stealing their family's hidden treasures right in front of them would be angry. Not to mention, Ocain was not known for his good temper.
Hearing the Flügel's reverse accusation, he was so angry he was speechless.
"How dare you try to snatch my children's creations right in front of me! Wings of the War God, did Artosh not teach you any manners?" he demanded.
Faced with this question, the Flügel girls exchanged glances. Some of them asked in genuine confusion, "Manners… what's that?"
Ocain and the Dwarfs fell silent. It seemed it was still a bit too early to discuss manners with the Flügel, who only knew how to kill.
"Ahem!"
Seeing her comrades' unreliability, unit number four, Raphael, cleared her throat speechlessly and stepped forward as their temporary representative.
Looking at the Forge God before her, she, who had faced an Old Deus with Azriel before, showed no fear.
"Manners? Our Lord Artosh said, 'That which you desire, kill and take it.' It is the same as a gift from heaven. If there is any etiquette we Flügel must abide by, that is it."
A simple translation would be: "Kill, then plunder."
It was a primitive and bloody code, but when paired with the Flügel's exceptional strength, it became exceptionally terrifying. If the Forge God Ocain wasn't here, the entire Dwarf race would have likely been slaughtered by now.
"What a bunch of primitives!"
Behind the Forge God Ocain, the Dwarfs' divine-tier genius, Roni Drovnir, muttered under his breath, immediately drawing the murderous gazes of the Flügel. He quickly hid behind Ocain, his gaze toward the Flügel defiant.
Unlike the Elves, the Dwarfs' god would actually protect them, so they were particularly confident at this moment. No matter how strong the Flügel were, would they dare to challenge an Old Deus?
Clearly, Ocain thought the same. So, after hearing Raphael's words, he immediately said in a deep voice, "Even so, with me here, you are destined not to get what you want today. Since heaven has not granted it to you, I can allow you to leave."
Hearing this, a slight commotion went through the Dwarfs behind Ocain. They clearly didn't want to let these Flügel off so easily. However, Roni Drovnir did not act this way. He nodded slightly, supporting the Forge God Ocain's decision.
"My lord!"
A mighty Old Deus, facing invaders in his own home, was still able to refrain from retaliating. This was already extreme restraint.
However, faced with this concession, the Flügel exchanged glances. Their eyes showed a hint of apprehension, but they had no intention of backing down.
"No!" Raphael refused on the spot. "There is only one possibility for us to leave, and that is for you to hand over all the divine essences in your possession!"
Sensing the feedback from the detection technique Su Mo had given them, she added, "There are eight divine essences in total. Don't even think about deceiving us!"
This was the reason they had clashed with the Dwarfs. For some reason, they had detected a large number of inactive divine essence reactions in the Dwarf headquarters, which proved the Dwarfs were definitely hiding something.
Although they didn't know if it was what Lord Su Mo wanted, that wasn't important. What was important was the task Su Mo had given them: to retrieve all suspicious items.
Even if only to not bring shame to Lord Artosh, they absolutely could not back down now.
Hearing her mention this, the faces of both the Forge God Ocain and the Dwarf genius Roni darkened. The research on divine essences was the Dwarfs' greatest secret.
As a divine-tier genius, Roni had not only mastered the method of artificially catalyzing divine essences, but he could also use them as bombs. From this, he had developed the God-Slaying Essence Explosion, or Essence Bomb for short.
He had originally thought of using this secret weapon against the Elves, or the War God Artosh. He never expected that before his preparations were complete and the technique fully adjusted, it would be discovered by these Flügel.
What terrible luck.
"Impossible! I will never hand them over to you!"
This time, before Ocain could respond, Roni impulsively refused.
The Essence Bomb was the Dwarfs' greatest weapon to end this great war, their biggest trump card to push the Forge God Ocain onto the throne of the One God.
How could they so easily hand it over to the enemy? Even if the Flügel couldn't see through their plan, it would surely arouse suspicion later.
Faced with his refusal, Raphael showed no reaction. She simply raised her hand slightly, taking an offensive stance.
"I am not negotiating with you rats. This is our command!"
The entire Flügel legion immediately followed her, raising their right arms in unison and locking their targets on the Forge God Ocain.
The Flügel might feel shame for having to ask for help, but when it came to risking their lives, they never hesitated. As the wings of the War God, dying in battle was not an unacceptable end for them.
Their action was a blatant provocation.
The Forge God Ocain's anger flared, and he too raised his giant hammer.
"Mere retainers dare to provoke a god! You tattered wings, who do you think you're threatening? An Old Deus?"
As a high-ranking Old Deus, he did not fear the Flügel legion before him.
However…
"A mere god. It's not like we haven't achieved the feat of slaying a god before!" Raphael sneered, her attitude even more resolute. "All units, prepare for Heaven's Strike!"
"Yes, my Lady!"
The ultimate secret technique of the Flügel, Heaven's Strike, had its power multiplied when used in combination.
Right now, with over a thousand Flügel using it at once, its power could even be amplified to a level that could threaten a high-ranking Old Deus.
Even Ocain felt a little uncertain facing an attack of this scale. However, in front of his own children, he could not soften his stance.
"If you insist, I don't mind displaying the might of a god and sending you all back to the Elemental Corridors!"
Hearing this, Raphael sneered.
"Trying to intimidate the Flügel with death? What a foolish act! Even if we die, Lord War God Artosh will take your lives. We will never lose!"
Hearing this, the Dwarfs, who had been brimming with fighting spirit due to the humiliation, suddenly calmed down. That's right. The Flügel had a final trump card: calling their parent.
Compared to the Dwarfs, who had already called their parent but still only held a slight advantage, once the War God Artosh appeared, it would surely be a one-sided victory.
Even if Ocain killed all the Flügel now, given the War God's concern for his retainers, he would surely wipe out the Dwarfs and Ocain immediately.
This was the rogue nature of the Flügel. No matter what you chose, any target they set their sights on would most likely die.
"My lord, perhaps we should take a step back!" Having thought it through, Roni immediately calmed down and said to Ocain.
Once they went to war with the entire Flügel race, they were doomed to die, win or lose. It was best not to enter such a gamble in the first place.
They couldn't afford to play, but these crazy Flügel could flip the table at any moment.
"No!" the Forge God Ocain immediately shook his head. "I know your concerns, but… against hyenas like the Flügel, we cannot make any concessions."
No Old Deus in this world did not fear Artosh, and Ocain was no exception. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so restrained and avoided large-scale conflicts.
If the Dwarfs themselves killed a few Flügel, that would be one thing; the War God wouldn't care. But once he, an Old Deus, laid a hand on them, the War God would most likely pierce him to death with a spear.
His status was not suitable for entering the fray, but unfortunately, the Dwarfs were not strong enough. If he didn't step in to protect them, they would be wiped out.
Therefore, facing the Flügel legion before him, he could only use his divine authority to deter them and protect his people.
However, even retreat had its techniques.
If he, an Old Deus, were to retreat without a bottom line, not only would his people be disappointed, but the Flügel would also become even more aggressive. So, he absolutely could not back down.
"Not to mention, I am the creator god of the Dwarfs! How can I let outside thugs rob my children of their most prized creation?!" With his last sentence, Ocain roared, making the other Dwarfs' blood boil.
This was also his true feeling. It had been hard enough to have a talented child create the Essence Bomb; how could he let the Flügel snatch it away?
As it happened, he, as a god, was also the impulsive and quick-tempered type, not a coward like Kainas. At worst, he would kill them and face the War God ahead of schedule. So what?
In this tense atmosphere, the standoff between the two sides grew more intense, yet no one made the first move.
Ocain wanted to claim the moral high ground of not having struck first. Whether it was useful or not, it could at least reduce the likelihood of Artosh's retaliation.
Raphael, on the other hand, was purely praying for Su Mo's arrival. As she said, the Flügel did not fear sacrifice, but they didn't want to die in vain. If there was a way to deal with the enemy without injury, they didn't want to die either.
A standoff between two equally fearful parties. The battlefield was temporarily deadlocked.
After a dozen seconds, Roni finally noticed something was wrong. After so long without a move, it didn't match the Flügel's explosive temper. Could it be that they didn't want to fight either?
With that thought, he boldly proposed, "If we hand over one divine essence, can we reconcile?" He felt that both sides might need a way to back down.
However…
"No!" Raphael still shook her head decisively. "Lord Su Mo's order was for all suspicious items. Therefore, you must hand over all the divine essences."
"Lord Su Mo?" Hearing this unfamiliar name, Roni was puzzled. Who was that? Wasn't the Flügel's Master God Artosh?
"Impossible!" Ocain shook his head decisively, also taking an uncompromising stance. "You will never have all the divine essences!"
Those were the treasures of the Dwarf race, and also the dignity of an Old Deus. Otherwise, if word got out that a group of Flügel had successfully blackmailed him, a god, Kainas would laugh at him for a thousand years.
The negotiations failed, and the atmosphere once again turned grim.
"Strange…" Watching the two sides, who remained motionless but whose auras were growing stronger, Roni scratched his head, feeling that something was wrong.
If the conflict between the two sides was so irreconcilable, what were the Flügel dawdling for? Since they wanted the divine essences, shouldn't they have just started a war? Their attitude was one of being willing to fight to the death, but their actions seemed to be stalling for time.
What reason did they have to stall for time? Could it be…
"My lord—"
Just as a bad feeling arose in his heart and he was about to tell Ocain…
Suddenly, a faint spatial fluctuation occurred, and four figures appeared before the Flügel legion.
Seeing the black-haired, black-eyed man, Raphael finally breathed a sigh of relief. Along with all the Flügel, she wore an expression of joy.
Looking at the uncomprehending Ocain, the Flügel smiled lightly and taunted, "I was waiting for reinforcements. What were you waiting for?"