Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Weakness, Persuasion!
The yellow sand surged forward, not only rushing toward Kuhaus Tam but also flowing in from all directions. In just a few breaths, the entire area was sealed off, with yellow sand filling the air as far as the eye could see.
As a result, the other half of Kuhaus Tam's soul, which had been trying to escape, froze in place. He looked around, bewildered by the endless expanse of yellow sand surrounding him.
Where else could he run?
Boom—
The deafening explosion rang out, the shockwave roaring like a ferocious tiger, but it dissipated as it met the yellow sand.
At this sight, even Kuhaus Tam's eyes widened in disbelief.
He couldn't believe that the power released from his self-detonation—half of his soul and his entire body—was absorbed by the sand!
What he didn't know was that the sand wasn't ordinary; it was an artifact. He mistakenly thought it was a magic spell cast by Dean Bruce.
In an instant, panic gripped his heart. He looked around frantically, searching for an escape route.
Buzz—
However, before Kuhaus Tam could make a move, the yellow sand, under Dean Bruce's control, surged toward his remaining soul, surrounding him completely.
Dean Bruce's calm voice echoed, "If you dared to self-destruct, there might have been a chance for you to survive, but you're too scared."
"Ordinary soul power, even with self-detonation, can't withstand my power. Now, you've completely lost the ability to resist me. Surrender."
"Answer my question, and I might spare your life. Otherwise, I'll let you die like a dog."
As Dean Bruce finished speaking, Kuhaus Tam's face darkened with shame. He no longer tried to hide and revealed his form.
After scrutinizing Dean Bruce for a moment, Kuhaus Tam ground his teeth and asked, "How did you detect my soul?"
Dean Bruce didn't respond. He just stared coldly at Kuhaus Tam and asked, "Why did Elvis order my assassination?"
Kuhaus Tam fell silent. After a long pause, he sighed deeply and finally spoke, "If I answer your question, will it really save my life?"
Dean Bruce's voice turned icy. "Do you have another choice? My patience is running out. You can either die or take a gamble—whether you live or die is up to you."
"Ah…" Hearing this, Kuhaus Tam couldn't help but sigh. He resigned himself to his fate. There was no way out if he stayed silent, but at least answering gave him a slim chance of survival, even if the odds were low.
No one wants to die. If there's even the slightest chance, Kuhaus Tam wouldn't refuse it. He immediately spoke up, "Your parents were trying to decode ancient magical runes in the Relics. But they knew too much, and the higher-ups wanted them dead to cover it up."
"You're their only child, so naturally, you were also on the list to be silenced."
Hearing the same answer as Alita Miller had given, Dean·Bruce was completely convinced. He asked again, "Do you know where my parents are?"
"I don't know." Kuhaus·Tam shook his head and replied, "I've been undercover for a long time, and I don't have many details. All I know are just the basics."
"By the way, the organization has set up teleportation arrays in many of the Relics to save time, and they also have lists of personnel. If you can find one of those, you could find your parents' location."
Upon hearing this, Dean·Bruce's eyes lit up.
The information he had received from the Nine Provinces Alliance was different from what he had been told by others!
Noticing the change in Dean·Bruce's expression, Kuhaus·Tam hurriedly added, "Oh, and recently, even though I haven't returned, I've heard a lot of people talking about the Black Dragon Mountains. Your parents might have been there. If they left any traces, you should be able to track them down."
Kuhaus·Tam nervously asked, "What other questions do you want to ask?"
"How much do you know about Elvis? What is his strength, and does he have any special items?" Dean·Bruce asked indifferently. "Does he have any weaknesses?"
"I..." Kuhaus·Tam shook his head. "Since he came, I've mostly been out on assignments. I'm not very familiar with him and don't know much about him."
Noticing the shift in Dean·Bruce's expression, Kuhaus·Tam quickly added, "But I do know one thing about his weakness! His aura changes over time. Sometimes it becomes much weaker!"
"If you want to make a move on him, just wait for the right moment. If you can catch him then, you'll definitely succeed!"
Seeing Dean·Bruce's gaze brighten once again, Kuhaus·Tam's tense heart relaxed. His eyes flickered, and he continued, "If you spare my life, I can stay by Elvis's side as an undercover agent. When you're fighting him, I'll strike from behind!"
Upon hearing this, Dean·Bruce was indeed moved.
Killing Kuhaus·Tam outright wouldn't offer much benefit, but having him as an undercover agent seemed like a good plan, allowing them to take down Elvis·Donimo more easily.
Dean·Bruce scrutinized Kuhaus·Tam for a moment and then spoke, "Swear an oath with the Magical Faith Badge, and I'll spare your life. But are you sure you can gain Elvis's trust?"
"Absolutely!" Kuhaus·Tam nodded vigorously. "Elvis knows I have the ability to split my soul and escape, and each soul has its own unique appearance and aura. I've escaped death multiple times!"
"He'll believe me!"
Hearing this, Dean·Bruce raised an eyebrow. He was quite intrigued by Kuhaus·Tam's ability.
Leaving aside everything else, if Dean·Bruce hadn't had the Lord of the Golden Sand to block the self-detonation's power and seal off the area, Kuhaus·Tam might have actually managed to escape.
This truly highlighted the importance of artifacts!
Kuhaus·Tam watched Dean·Bruce warily and spoke again, "The reason we tried to go after you before was really just to complete the mission. If you spare my life, I'll work for you without hesitation!"
"Swear on the Magical Faith Badge." Dean·Bruce didn't refuse. He spoke calmly, "I don't trust you. The oath you swear on the Magical Faith Badge will decide your life or death."
Hearing this, Kuhaus·Tam swallowed hard, fully realizing his situation. He took a deep breath, and his soul began to burn, with red light flickering within.
Kuhaus·Tam spoke in a deep voice: "I, Kuhaus·Tam, swear by the name of the God of War, that I will obey the orders of Dean·Bruce until Elvis·Donimo is dead. If I break this oath, may my soul burn to ashes and forever fall into the dark abyss of hell, tormented by the demons for eternity!"
Dean·Bruce glanced at Kuhaus·Tam, understanding the meaning behind his words.
The Magical Faith Badge was real, but it had a time limit.
Once Elvis·Donimo was dead, Kuhaus·Tam would no longer be bound by it.
However, Dean·Bruce didn't point this out.
Once the Magical Faith Badge expired, he could simply kill Kuhaus·Tam without worry!
From this battle, Dean·Bruce had also determined the effectiveness of the Lord of the Golden Sand—it could fully block attacks from an archmage-level powerhouse.
In any battle, when you're able to disregard the enemy's attacks, you're essentially already in an unbeatable position!
It was only a matter of how much magic power and time it would cost.
Having accepted Kuhaus·Tam's oath, Dean·Bruce dismissed the Lord of the Golden Sand.
After all, the Lord of the Golden Sand was an artifact, powerful but also incredibly draining in terms of magic.
Even just maintaining it during this conversation had consumed more magic than Dean·Bruce had used in all his prior spells combined—twice as much, in fact.
Now that the Magical Faith Badge had been established, Kuhaus·Tam could no longer harm Dean·Bruce, so there was no need to keep the artifact active.
Buzz...
With a hum, the yellow sand finally dissipated, and a strong smell of blood immediately filled the air, causing both Dean·Bruce and Kuhaus·Tam to frown in unison.
Looking up, they saw that the purple shield that Cyb·Louis had created had vanished. Cyb·Louis stood calmly in place, his face expressionless, while thick blood pooled on the ground, forming a large puddle.
The bodies of the fallen lay scattered across the area, with almost every one of them broken into pieces, their flesh obliterated to the point of being unrecognizable.
Upon seeing this, Dean·Bruce immediately understood—the information Alita Miller had provided was true. Otherwise, Cyb·Louis wouldn't have been so enraged.
His eyes flicked over to Cyb·Louis, and Dean·Bruce took a step forward, saying, "Don't act rashly. Elvis is powerful, and you alone cannot defeat him. We can't afford to alarm him."
Cyb·Louis replied calmly, "I know. I won't alert him."
After a brief pause, Cyb·Louis added, "When you decide on your next steps, remember to call me. I can offer advice and strategies."
Dean·Bruce raised an eyebrow, his respect for Cyb·Louis growing, but also his wariness.
A person who could control their anger was not to be underestimated.
And this wasn't just any ordinary anger—it was the kind born from the hatred of losing loved ones, compounded by years of being misled.
"Did you manage to recruit this guy?" Cyb·Louis glanced at Kuhaus·Tam and asked, "Before Elvis arrived, Kuhaus was actually the one set to take over as Minister. In a way, Kuhaus has his own grudges. If we're going after Elvis, he'll lend us a hand."
"The only concern is whether Kuhaus can gain Elvis's trust."