Verbal Domination

"Bronya."

Jing Yan called out upon seeing her.

The other party froze at the sound.

Bronya paused after spotting Jing Yan, not immediately approaching him. She took in his attire, which felt out of place in the Overworld.

He might be someone from the Underworld.

Just as she wondered how he could stand there so brazenly without being discovered and escorted back to the Underworld by the Silvermane Guards, something even more startling occurred: she felt a sense of familiarity toward the young man, yet she couldn't recall ever meeting him.

The more she tried to think, the more her head throbbed, leaving her feeling dizzy.

"I..."

Bronya reached out a delicate hand to her forehead, bewildered by her own reaction.

She didn't know why she was feeling this way, but she dismissed it as mere physical discomfort and issued her command: "Seize them!"

Hearing Bronya's words, Jing Yan didn't rush to use his abilities to control the Silvermane Guards. The three people beside him immediately assumed a defensive stance.

Watching the shift in Bronya's expression, Jing Yan naturally understood why.

Bronya had actually been from the Underworld as a child, raised in the Rivet Town orphanage, but she was later chosen as the successor to the Supreme Guardian and brought to the Overworld to be groomed.

Furthermore, her memories had been sealed.

This resulted in Jing Yan still remembering Bronya, while she could no longer recognize him.

[Verbal Domination]

Jing Yan immediately unleashed his newest ability.

The reason he had only used it on Fragmentum Creatures before was twofold: first, he wanted to test the extent of his divine power's influence on them; second, he was concerned that using it on humans would yield inconsistent results due to individual differences, and it would be easier for others to discover.

At this moment, the maximum range of his "Eros" power could cover the entire city, though it was limited to influencing the populace rather than controlling them to the point of overriding their individual wills and thoughts.

That level of control was restricted to his immediate vicinity, and the target could not harbor intense malice or resistance.

Unless he invoked the power of other mighty Aeons, there was always a chance for the target to break free.

However, because Bronya had subconscious memories of Jing Yan and was caught off guard, she was instantly controlled.

"You all, stand down!"

According to the ability's description, Jing Yan could now exert a degree of control over her through speech.

As long as the command didn't severely violate her principles, she would comply.

Unlike the [Heart-to-Heart] ability that unlocked once favorability reached 90%—which allowed for telepathic communication once someone became Jing Yan's follower—Bronya, despite being under the influence of [Verbal Domination], still required Jing Yan to issue verbal commands to manipulate her.

"Silvermane Guards, disperse and maintain security!"

Bronya commanded with a stern expression.

"Yes!"

The nearby squad of Silvermane Guards immediately scattered.

"Bronya, Cocolia..."

Jing Yan began to test his control over the dominated Bronya.

He first mentioned the name of Cocolia, the Supreme Guardian and Bronya's adoptive mother.

Upon hearing the name, Bronya's brow furrowed instantly. This indicated a violent fluctuation in her thoughts; if such fluctuations were triggered continuously, she would break free from the [Verbal Domination] state.

I see. Jing Yan understood.

He skipped the topic and began issuing other commands.

The next request was still sensitive, but it bypassed Cocolia's name entirely.

"Can you take me to the Guard Restricted Zone?" Jing Yan asked.

"The Guard Restricted Zone?" Bronya hesitated but didn't immediately refuse, instead asking, "May I ask, what is your identity and your reason for going?"

"The Guard Restricted Zone cannot be entered without authorization," Bronya added.

"Authorization, is it?" Jing Yan smiled upon hearing this, sensing a chance.

"If it is to accompany you, Commander Bronya, to inspect the prowess of the Architects, spur on their resolve, boost their morale, and ensure that our future defenses are foolproof, would that be acceptable?"

Jing Yan continued.

"If it is merely for an inspection, that is not impossible," Bronya replied.

"However, Bronya must ask, what is your identity, sir?"

Under the effects of [Verbal Domination], Bronya's expression remained somewhat dazed.

Yet, she was not easily fooled.

Jing Yan replied, "I am your friend, Jing Yan. May I proceed with the inspection?"

"Jing Yan... a friend?" Bronya murmured to herself.

However, she did not respond immediately.

Following that, she seemed to fall into memories once more, and her head began to ache again.

"My head..."

Bronya furrowed her brows tightly and reached up to massage her temples.

The surrounding Silvermane Guards immediately noticed Bronya's distress and stepped forward to ask, "Commander Bronya!"

"Are you alright, Commander Bronya?!"

At this moment, Jing Yan stepped aside.

He stood to the side and began to ponder.

The experiment just now could not be considered a complete success.

Although it was his first time using this ability, things did not seem to go very smoothly.

Compared to his previous ability to directly manipulate Eros, Verbal Domination was a higher-level and more complex power; therefore, the failure rate should not have been this high.

Even though Jing Yan had come very close to succeeding in this attempt, it ultimately failed, most likely because Bronya's abilities were rather unique.

Bronya's Path was "Harmony," and while conversing with March 7th and the others, he had learned a few things about the Aeons from them, such as...

The phonograph on the Astral Express played discs, and they possessed one particular disc that was a Curio called the "Outer-Heaven Echo Disc."

It originated from a religious organization dedicated to a deceased Aeon, the "Outer-Heaven Choir," who worshipped the "Order" Tayi.

Later, the "Order" Tayi was assimilated by the "Harmony" Xipe, and the once-harmonious chorus fell silent.

This choir disc possessed a special effect that could allow people to shake off certain negative mental effects.

From this, one could also discern some of the power of the "Harmony" Xipe, which was to keep certain things constant.

Furthermore, as far as Jing Yan knew, Bronya herself was quite adept at this.

She possessed a skill called Combat Redeployment, which allowed her to cleanse negative effects through the power of "Harmony."

Even so, his attempt to dominate her had nearly succeeded; it was only interrupted because it triggered the memory seal Cocolia had placed on her long ago, causing Bronya to begin recalling the name Jing Yan and the matter of "friends."