Victor received a message from the chat group one morning while taking a break from cultivation.
[Jibril: Master Victor, the agreed time has come. When are you free to come over?]
As soon as he read Jibril's message, Victor remembered his promise to attend the Sixteen Races Alliance Meeting.
[Victor: I'll be right there.]
He opened a dimensional portal and stepped through into the world of No Game No Life.
"Master Victor, welcome to the home of the Flügel, Avant Heim!"
Jibril stood before him with perfect posture, welcoming his arrival with a respectful bow.
Behind her stood a gathering of beautiful women, each bearing halos above their heads and feathered wings at their waists. The entire assembly of Flügel regarded Victor with expressions of reverence and admiration.
Victor raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I thought your sisters would hate me on sight."
After all, he'd killed their creator. By any standard, he was essentially their father's murderer.
Jibril shook her head. "Although the God of War Artosh was our master, we Flügel are also the race of the strong. For one who can defeat the God of War, we have nothing but awe and respect!"
"That's right, nya!" A beautiful woman with long sea-green hair and a single curved horn on her head stepped forward from the crowd. "Although we were saddened by the God of War's sacrifice at first, nya, being defeated by a strong opponent was always his greatest wish. We should honor that, nya!"
"Master Victor, let me introduce you," Jibril said. "This is Azriel, the eldest sister of our Flügel race."
Victor nodded. He knew of Azriel, the first and strongest Flügel ever created, even more powerful than Jibril. She was also known for her eccentric personality and childish speech patterns, traits that even Artosh himself had acknowledged with amusement. Despite being the eldest sister, she held no real authority among the Flügel and was often teased by her peers.
"Flügel, listen!"
Azriel's expression suddenly turned serious, her playful demeanor vanishing in an instant.
"I pledge my loyalty to our new master, Lord Victor!"
She knelt on one knee before him.
"We pledge our loyalty to our new master!"
Every Flügel behind her dropped to one knee in unison.
"We pledge our loyalty to our new master!"
The thunderous declaration echoed throughout Avant Heim.
Victor froze, taken aback by the sudden turn of events. He glanced at Jibril for an explanation, only to find her looking just as confused as he was.
"What do you mean?" Victor asked Azriel.
Azriel kept her gaze lowered. "The Lord God of War made a will before his death. Whoever defeats him would become the new master of our Flügel!"
Jibril couldn't hide her shock. "Why haven't I heard of this will before?"
"Well, this will was made when the Lord God of War first created me, nya. I'm the only one who knows about it."
Victor frowned slightly. Had the God of War truly left such instructions? But if that were true, why hadn't the Flügel accepted the Ex-Machina as their masters in the original timeline? After Artosh fell in battle against them, the Flügel should have followed them according to this supposed will.
Was it because the Flügel looked down on the Ex-Machina?
No, that couldn't be it. No matter how much pride the Flügel possessed, they would never disobey Artosh's final command. Even if they hated the Ex-Machina with every fiber of their being, they would have followed them shamelessly just to honor their creator's last wish.
Which left only one conclusion.
The will was fabricated.
"Azriel, look at me," Victor commanded.
After a moment's hesitation, Azriel raised her head. Though she tried to maintain her composure, her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.
Just as he thought.
But this revelation only raised another question, why would Azriel lie?
Before he could pursue the matter further, a Flügel girl flew in from above.
"Reporting to Master Victor! Representatives from the Elves, Werebeasts, and Dwarves have arrived."
Victor addressed the assembled Flügel. "Send some of you to receive the representatives from each race, while the rest continue your inspection of Avant Heim. Jibril and Azriel, stay with me."
"Yes, my lord!"
After the others departed, only the three of them remained.
"Now, tell me the real reason behind your lie about the so-called will."
Seeing her deception exposed so easily, Azriel actually seemed relieved.
"I should have known my lie wouldn't fool you, nya."
She took a deep breath. "Actually, I had no choice but to make up that lie, nya. After the Lord God of War's death, many of my sisters couldn't accept the reality of losing their master. They began taking their own lives one after another, nya. I had to fabricate this will to stop them from committing suicide."
Jibril's expression darkened. "No wonder I saw the bodies of fallen sisters when I returned. At the time, I thought someone had launched a surprise attack during the Lord God of War's absence. So they took their own lives..."
Azriel's face crumpled with despair. "Please, my lord, don't tell the others the truth! And please don't refuse our pledge! This is the only way to prevent them from ending their lives!"
Victor nodded. "Don't worry. I won't expose your lie."
How could he refuse such a wonderful opportunity? Gaining an entire race of powerful, devoted Flügel? That was an offer he couldn't possibly turn down.
"Thank you, my lord!"
Two hours passed.
Nearly all the representatives had arrived, except for the Imanity.
Victor turned to Jibril with growing concern. "Did you send someone to escort the Imanity representative?"
Jibril blinked in confusion. "No, why would we need to? Can't they come on their own?"
Victor pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Jibril, have you forgotten that humans can't use magic?"
"And Avant Heim floats high in the sky. How do you expect humans, who can't manipulate spiritual energy, to reach this place on their own?"
"Ah!" Jibril's eyes widened as realization struck. "I completely forgot about that!"
"I'll send someone to fetch them right away, "
Victor raised a hand to stop her. "Forget it. I'll go myself."
Letting the Flügel retrieve the human representatives seemed like a recipe for disaster. Better to handle this personally.