Chapter 292: Ch 292: Convincing Kaiden to help

Kaiden and Loki were both people who exuded enough pressure to make someone uncomfortable. Shuu felt like he was stuck between the two with no way out.

So he did the only thing that made sense to him- he kept his head down and waited for the pair to reach a conclusion without him.

Both Caelis and Rin sat beside him quietly and watched this fight happening in front of them.

"What makes you think I will join your side and help you after what you tried to pull with Shuu? Give me a single excuse why I should not end your life."

Kaiden’s voice was both loud and intimidating. He was fishing for answers and not backing down.

But Loki did not look intimidated. He looked more amused than anything else and even waved his hands to show his disconcern about this topic.

"If you want to try and hurt me, then you are more than welcome to. However, you will find that it’s not that easy to hurt me. Not only am I incredibly frustrating, but I also make sure to repay anyone who has wronged me. That will include other gods as well."

Those words at least confirmed that this man was likely a god. Is that why he felt familiar to Shuu?

"I don’t care if you are a god or devil. All I care about are your actions. Now, do you have any last words to say to me?"

Kaiden asked and Loki sighed before he nodded.

"Actually, I do. You both are familiar with Astoria, right? I need your help against her. She has gotten far too arrogant and annoying these days, you will agree as well, right? I need your help to get rid of her and restore order back into the gods’ realm."

Loki was saying too much in order to distract Kaiden and Shuu. He could have summarized this all into one line to lessen the confusion, but then he would have to say more to convince the pair in front of him.

So he chose the more confusing approach. But Kaiden looked right through his attempts.

"Do you think your cheap tricks are enough to distract me? Don’t try to fool me with your innocent act. I know your kind very well. You want to push me and Shuu to the forefront of the upcoming war so that you could take the benefits for yourself."

Loki bit his lip to stop himself from cursing. But on the surface, he just smiled to appear innocent.

"I would never do that. I respect you and Shuu too much to put you in danger. If you don’t believe me, then you can keep an eye on me to make sure I am not lying-"

"Shuu, we have heard enough nonsense. It’s time to head back now."

Kaiden stood up and started to walk away. But he did not get to go very far when Loki stood up once more and spoke.

"You can try to run away, but do you think Astoria will leave you all alone? She won’t hesitate to make Shuu her target. If you know what’s good for him, then you won’t put Shuu in danger like this."

Loki reminded Kaiden and his words hurt Kaiden right where it hurt.

Kaiden was not able to control his next actions. One second, he was standing beside Shuu, and the next, he had Loki held in a chokehold. Loki looked worried, but amused at the same time.

"See-! You cannot even handle me properly. Do you think you can handle a madwoman like Astoria without help? And it’s also not like I am offering you this help out of the goodness of my heart. I have my own score to settle with Astoria as well."

Loki confessed as he placed his hand on Kaiden’s arm holding him up by the neck and forcefully pulled himself down. Kaiden let him go, but he did not look happy while doing this.

"So, what are you suggesting we do? Do you want me to attack Astoria head-on?"

Kaiden asked and Loki shook his head quickly before he took a seat. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"As much as I would like to end Astoria here and now, I am not foolish enough to think she has no defence against you. You would be my last choice to go against her."

Loki admitted and Kaiden felt annoyed by his quick dismissal. But it made sense, so he kept his words to himself.

Since Kaiden was out, there was only one person left who could take on Astoria.

"The one to take down Astoria would have to be someone she never expected. Shuu will have to do his next in this regard. Shuu, do you feel ready-"

"No! Shuu will not participate."

"Leave Shuu alone."

Both Kaiden and Caelis spoke in unison. Their eyes shined with protectiveness and Loki immediately backed down once he saw their determination.

"Fine, we can pull Shuu out of this fight. But we still need an element of surprise-"

"I want to participate. I know that it’s dangerous for me to be fighting out there, but I feel like I need to do this. I feel like I have a score to settle with her. I don’t know if I will be able to fight her properly, but I do want to try."

Kaiden looked more and more frustrated by Shuu’s words. He calmed a little bit, which gave Shuu hope that he would listen to him. But then-

"Don’t be a fool. I know you have the power to take down Astoria, but it’s too dangerous and I don’t want you to be in danger. So stay back with us where it’s safe for now."

Kaiden declared and both Caelis and Rin nodded.

Their protection was nice but stifling at the same time. Shuu needed to pull his weight as well, but the current situation was not allowing him to do that.

He felt awkward and Loki decided to help him out.

"Why are you making the decision for Shuu? If he has decided to fight, then it’s his decision. Who are we to force our own beliefs on him?"

Loki’s words were sensible, but they aggravated Kaiden and the kids. They growled as they looked at him with eyes filled with hostility.

"I know Shuu is more than capable, but there is no need for him to get involved. If you want to form an alliance, then talk to me about it. Caelis, Rin, take Shuu back to my office for now. I will meet you soon."

Kaiden declared and the kids nodded before they quickly made their way out.

Loki watched them run away with an amused look on his face, but he did not get to watch the kids for too long before Kaiden coughed to get his attention.

"Now that the kids are gone, shall we talk? Why did you approach Shuu? Don’t give me the same bullcrap about it being for his own good or because you were curious. I won’t buy it."

Kaiden’s words were clear and cruel. He was not giving Loki any room to breathe. It felt unfair, but honestly, Loki was more than aware of Kaiden’s real attitude, so he was not taken aback.

If anything, he just chuckled at the look Kaiden gave him.

"Don’t worry too much. I am not trying to put Shuu into danger, nor trying to use him. Knowing Astoria, her obsession with power and Shuu won’t ever go away. So I just wanted to kill two birds with one stone by having him participate in this fight."

It sounded like a simple reason, but it was not. Kaiden could tell that this was not the whole reason behind Loki’s actions.

Loki noticed Kaiden’s vigilance as well and became sure that Kaiden would not let this topic go until he was fully told of the reason behind Loki’s actions.

"The war among the gods is about to start once more. Astoria has already made her declarations known and father is choosing to remain silent about this. It means that this war has his approval as well. What do you think will happen if a war breaks out?"

Loki asked and Kaiden scoffed at his worry.

"The first casualty would be these pocket worlds we created. But are you that attached to the world you made that you are willing to do anything for it? You can always make a new world if this one gets destroyed."

Loki gritted his teeth at Kaiden’s logic.

"You sound like a bastard when you say things like this. Unlike you, I do care for my people. I also do not have the authority to do with their souls as I please. So unlike you, I cannot bring them back if they were to die. Our situations are too different to compare."

Loki confessed, trying to move Kaiden’s heart. But the more he spoke, the more uninterested Kaiden looked in helping him out.

So Loki decided that he needed to try something else. He needed Shuu to agree with him. That way, he could get to Kaiden as well.