Lord Shadow

Loki then ask

‘Ever helped someone get to the White House?’ Loki ask. 

Nathan scoffed and said

‘People think it matters who sit in that house. It didn’t. Multinational corporation and criminals runs the world. Most of the politicians there is in some corporation pocket or have an agenda to champion. They all wears a mask in public only to reveal it in darkness’

Loki only chuckles

‘Hence, you become the information broker for the criminals of the world’

‘The criminals wanted information. There was no one providing it. At least not as organized as I have. There is a void. I just filled it. There is demand so I just supply the demand. The simplest concept of economics’

‘Ah, the old corruption hated a vacuum maxim. I understand. I did not mean to condemn you. We did what we had to do to survive. A monster has their own way of surviving right’

Nathan shook his head and said

‘I am no longer that man’

Loki only smirk at him and then he sighed. A second passes between them as there is only silence between them. Riana seems to be cut off from the conversation entirely.

And then Loki said 

‘I still have to take your life’

Riana stood up from her chair and then said

‘Father, please. He could give you the Book. That is basically all of the information that you could have. There is no need to kill him’

‘It is not enough’ Loki said. While Riana did not understand, Nathan understood

‘You can’t convince them just by the book right? I wanted it to be false. But when I heard from Ana that you were coming to kill me, I could guess what you were thinking’ Nathan said. 

Loki chuckles while pointing toward Nathan

‘See, he knows what I am talking about’

Riana was about to argue, but Nathan grip her hand tighter, giving her a signal to stop. Riana look at him and he just nodded.

It is a sign between them. Sighing, Nathan said in a resigned manner

‘The Book is simply one of the benefits. It is necessary but not the most important thing’

Loki close his eyes for a second and nodded before opening it again 

Then he said toward Riana

‘To gain more information I need the Book of Secrets. I would use some of the information in the book and sell it, trade it with more information. It is the same method that your beloved had done’ 

‘One thing he could not have possibly foreseen was how Death Monarch would rise. He was too fast for others to catch up’

Then he looks back at Nathan and continue one 

‘Even if you have information about him, you would always have to worry going out of your house and get struck down by red thunderbolts. Or maybe a sword will that will cut you into pieces. You made your bed the moment you become the broker of information for the criminal underworld.’ 

Loki smiles as he said

‘I daresay, if you were faster than Death Monarch in the past, you might even be able to suppress him. But “What If” scenario is useless to think about. Here I am, and here you are’

Then Loki look toward Riana and said

‘Trust me, Ana. This is not personal. I really could not approve you loving this man, but I know one thing. It is time to let you go and make your own decision. Whether that decision is right or wrong, it is your life. I could give you advice, give some help here and there but I could not live your life. So, this is nothing personal. It is just a necessity.’

‘Why?!’ Riana shouted. 

This is the first time that Riana shouted at Loki. Loki was not surprised. instead he was quite calm about it.

He did not answer. 

But it was Nathan that answer her. He was quite calm even though knowing that Loki is planning to go through with his plan killing him.

‘The Crime Alliance have always doubted the allegiance of Loki the Trickster. Yes, Loki had helped them a couple of times. He even participated in a few gathering of the criminal underworld’

‘And while he did terrible things, one could not help but realize those that suffer the trickster schemes and torture is also monsters like them.’

‘Loki the Trickster did not make his hobby killing innocent. And Loki always had a place to go back home to. And that home is Pandemonium, the strongest world power that had mark the Crime Alliance as their enemy. 

‘They felt that you were not like them’ And there is a smile on Nathan face.

Loki did not say anything as he let Nathan to continue talking.

‘To the world right now, Loki had cut his relations with Pandemonium. And then he was even accused of starting the Multiversal Convergence. All in all, that already pushed him to be more accepted by the people of the Crime Alliance’ 

‘Loki, the wanted man, number one on probably every single kill list of the World power except that of Pandemonium’

‘But Death Monarch declaration of protection towards him, once again put people in the Crime Alliance wary.  I might even say that Death Monarch declaration is like throwing a wrench in Loki well-oiled plan’

‘They might think that Loki is a spy, someone that Death Monarch had sent so that he could destroy Crime Alliance from the inside. Even though it is very different from the way Death Monarch do things, there is still this wariness. As such, Loki need to prove himself. Only then could he truly be accepted by the Crime Alliance. like some kind of initiation before entering a gang’

Loki simply said

‘I could not stop him from making such a decision. I am touched but it is true that his protection did make convincing the people of Crime Alliance a little bit harder. But where is the fun, if everything is that easy, right?’

Loki said while chuckling.

Nathan only scoffed. 

It is useless trying to gauge Loki true intention or his emotions right now. 

Dealing with him had made Nathan knew that even though most of the time, Loki appear nonchalant, a jokester he is very different from what he portrayed himself to the world.

This is a cunning man and you should never fall for any of his tricks. Even the expression on his face could be regarded as one of his tricks. It would not be surprising if it is.

Nathan knew that with all the suspicion on Loki right now, if Loki come to them now, he would not be able to access the upper echelon of the Crime Alliance and his movement will be limited. 

Not only that, without the Book of Secrets, there is not many things he could influence in the world 

They would always be cautious of him. 

Because Loki is not one of them. 

The World Powers will also be hunting him not to mention the plethora of powerful individuals that lost their family during the Multiversal Convergence. 

Their anger now has a target.

Nathan knew that the one responsible for this is not Loki. But the same fact is not known to the people of the world.

Nathan also understood the reason why many powerful people in the world would want to cover up the fact that Death Monarch is the cause of the Multiversal Convergence

But if the real culprit of the matter were to be revealed, then the World power whether they wanted to or not, they have to show support to their people and fight against Death Monarch

Even the great powers still have to listen to their citizens. But what that would mean is a war. A war between the great world powers and Pandemonium.

And Nathan is not quite sure who would be the winner in than kind of rumble. One thing he does know is that whoever emerges from it, would not be as strong as it is before.

A war with Pandemonium, a war with Death Monarch is not something that would strengthen Earth. 

With barbaric alien race from the stars, demonic kings from some other dimension, Otherworlders from parallel worlds, Earth needed a champion.

A protector and a guardian. 

No matter whether Pandemonium wins or the great powers win, the loser would still be Earth.

So, he understood why the great powers covers up the matter. But he did not know why Loki would sacrifice himself in the process.

Maybe other people believe that the only thing driving Loki to sacrifice his reputation and even risk his life is simply because of brotherhood. 

But knowing Loki, that must not be the only thing. 

Knowing him, this is another long con. 

And after knowing he wanted the Book of Secrets, Nathan knew that while to others, to be branded as the one who causes the Multiversal Convergence is a calamity for a lot of people, for Loki it is the badge of acknowledgment as one of the Big Bad of the world.

That would earn him a seat in the Crime Alliance. But the problem remains.

Even if he now has a notorious reputation, the Crime Alliance still did not trust him. It is ironic but those in the criminal world also have trust

But the kind of trust criminals wanted is different. 

They need to trust that Loki was like them. A criminal to the bones 

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