Loki was not satisfied with the outcome. It was not that he had expected Shuu and Kaiden to agree with his proposal, but he had expected them to at least think about it a little bit before giving him an answer.

But they had both rejected him quickly, effectively cutting any connection he could have to them. He had also burned all the bridges he could have used to foster a close relationship with the pair.

"Ah, looks like I messed up badly. But somehow, I don’t feel as hopeless as I expected to feel."

There was only one reason behind Loki’s calmness and it was the fact that he was on the neutral side.

Knowing Astoria, she would make her move soon and she would make it impossible for anyone to stay out of the fight. So all Loki needed to do was wait for her to act and then take advantage of it.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend after all.

"I better make sure my people are safe and know to keep out of danger. Otherwise-"

[Warning: your end is approaching. Either surrender to my powers or watch yourself perish.]

The system’s message came so fast that Loki did not even see it until it flashed across his screen fully. He looked flustered but quickly caught himself in time and decided to erase the message before anyone could see it.

But since it was possible that a few people had seen it, he decided to send another message.

[The new scenario’s conditions have been met. This time, the system will open a special dungeon with following conditions-]

Instead of having people be confused about what was happening, Loki turned it into a dungeon people could enjoy. He was sure that a few observing people wouldn’t accept this change and would try to dig too deep into the truth.

And that was where he would limit their accessibility and make sure they wouldn’t be able to dig too far.

But the bigger problem at the moment was Astoria. She had somehow managed to dig all the way up to him and was now making his life difficult. She was affecting events she had no right interfering with.

"Looks like I need to check the system once more to make sure no traces of her power remain-"

The second Loki touched the system, he was shocked and had to pull his hand back. The system rejected his power and was flooded with Astoria’s power.

"This is not possible. I created the system using my essence. It should not be responding to anyone else other than me. Astoria does not have the ability to manipulate it. Did someone else help her out?"

Loki already knew that Astoria did not have any permanent allies. There were no gods who liked her and would like to lend her help. But she was cunning enough to find ways to bring other gods to do her bidding for her.

Loki had a feeling she had deployed a similar tactic this time as well. But he could not guess which god she had chosen to take advantage of.

’Ugh, I don’t have time to think about all that. I need to make sure I take care of this stuff before it is too late.’

Loki felt annoyed but reassured at the same time that he was doing everything he could to keep his people safe.

__________

"Are you done? Were you successfully bypassing the security check? Remember, the welfare of your people depends on your success."

Goddess Astoria reminded the minor god in front of her. She was holding the god’s people hostage to ensure his cooperation.

Many people would call her selfish for this, but she was just doing what she was supposed to be doing and nothing else. It was not her fault that these people were too fragile and did not have enough power to protect their people.

Anyway, unlike a brute, she was giving them a chance, so wasn’t that enough?

"I-I am trying, but cracking God Loki’s energy field is not easy. The boundary is repelling me harshly and it hurts to bypass it."

The god confessed as he tried his best to make his way through. But it was starting to hurt his insides. He could not do this for too long without causing permanent damage to himself.

But of course, Astoria did not like his answer. She made an unhappy face at his confession and squinted her eyes in displeasure.

"Tsk, this is rather unfortunate. But you need to keep going. Think of your people and try your best. I know you can do it."

Astoria encouraged, but she was also the reason behind this man’s stress. He knew that telling her not to hurry him wouldn’t help, so he went back to work.

He could ensure Goddess Astoria and her rule.

No! He had to endure Goddess Astoria and her rule for his people. If he did not, then it would be the end for everyone under him as well. At worst, they would be absorbed by Goddess Astoria and exploited.

After a lot of hard work, the minor god finally succeeded and felt relieved.

"I-I did it. Goddess Astoria, here you go. I-I will take my leave now. P-Please assure me that you will leave my people alone. I have paid the price for their freedom already."

The minor god pleaded, but Goddess Astoria just scoffed at his words and actions.

"Don’t be dumb. I still have use for your people. You have helped me, so I will let you go, but your people still have a debt to pay to me. So I will be using their help."

Astoria confirmed the minor god’s worst nightmare. He felt his heart breaking and he knew he needed to do something about it. But nothing came to mind when he tried to think of ways to help.

Suddenly, realization dawned on him that he was alone and his people were going to suffer because of his incompetence.

It made him feel helpless and he felt like he had to grab something to let his frustration out. But he felt too afraid to do anything. No matter where he turned, all he could see and feel was Goddess Astoria’s presence.

"Hey, are you thinking of betraying me? Don’t even think about it if you know what’s good for you. Just keep being my cute little puppet and no one will get hurt."

It was a lie. Astoria had made sure to confirm that she was lying. There was no need for the minor god to believe her words.

And yet, he knew he could not take immediate action against her. He had to bide his time and make sure she let her guard down. And then he could take her down.

’You have betrayed my trust, Goddess Astoria. And I will make sure you pay dearly for it. I will make you trust me and slowly drain you of everything until you have nothing left to your name. I promise you this much.’

The minor god had made up his mind and he would see this through even if it killed him.

__________

When Shuu woke up, the first thing he saw was the empty room.

He blinked for a few seconds to clear his vision, but the scene in front of him did not change. It was still the same place as before.

He was about to push himself up and check his surroundings when he felt the door open. He looked at the door, only to see Kaiden entering with the kids.

"Ah, you are finally up? You don’t have to sit up if you are still tired. You were under a lot of stress when we saved you. You can go back to sleep if you want to."

Kaiden assured Shuu, but he did not feel as sleepy. His body just felt heavy at the moment and Shuu had a feeling it had something to do with his powers.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he was able to drag himself to sit tight and look at Kaiden and the kids. They looked worried and their anxious eyes kept looking at Shuu and then at the tray they brought.

They were not saying anything, so Shuu decided to call out to them.

"Is that food? Can I have some?"

Shuu was not really hungry, but he was willing to eat something if it meant that the kids would feel a little relieved.

Both Caelis and Rin looked relieved and walked toward Shuu before they placed the tray in front of him. Shuu took some of it, but he was not able to put in more than a few mouthfuls.

Even that much seemed to be enough for the kids and they relaxed when they noticed him eating his food properly.

Kaiden allowed Shuu to have his meal in peace before he dropped the huge bomb on his head.

"Shuu, I was thinking that it’s time for us to head back home."