"The Prophet, an outsider, has rewritten your faith using a set of demonic arts called 'Corporate Management' and 'User Psychology', turning you into tools to fulfill his own ambitions!"
Lin Qingyue's voice boomed across the square, each word striking a chord in their hearts.
"He has turned your city into a trap for other 'peers'! A giant 'graveyard'!"
"And you are the blades carrying out this slaughter! Your compatriots, your relatives and friends, may have all died unjustly in this conspiracy!"
Her voice rose, becoming cold and sharp.
"The blood you shed was for a stranger's ambition!"
"The lives you sacrificed were to consolidate the rule of an Evil God who feeds on you!"
"The 'heretics' you hunted down might have been people you could have called friends!"
Boom!
These words became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Every local soldier, as well as those brainwashed Earth Professionals, had their minds completely shattered by this brutal truth.
So... that's how it is?
So they fought so hard not for some bullshit New Life, but to be pawns for an American?
So their so-called Holy War was a vile conspiracy against innocent people from the very start?
The overwhelming rage from being deceived, manipulated, and played for fools instantly turned into a spreading wildfire, completely consuming the false fervor brought by the Evil God's brainwashing.
Under the rules of [Echo of the Heart's Abyss], their desires were amplified infinitely.
It was no longer a thirst for slaughter, but an intense craving for freedom, for dignity, and to reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to them!
"No... this can't be true..."
A supervising American Paladin, his face deathly pale, instinctively tried to argue back.
But the moment he opened his mouth, the [Truth] rule took over his tongue, forcing him to scream the horror in his heart:
"Damn it! How does that bitch know about the 'Genius Graveyard' plan! This is all Lord Cain's top secret!"
The entire scene fell into dead silence.
Then came an uproar like a volcanic eruption!
"ROAR!"
A burly Werebear Guard Captain's eyes were bloodshot. He slammed his massive battleaxe into the stone pavement, sending shards of rock flying everywhere.
He ripped off the twisted emblem of the Rebirth Cult from his chest, threw it to the ground, and crushed it under his boot!
"We are the people of Winred! Not butchers in the hands of foreigners!"
He pointed at the Supervisory Squad's banner nearby and roared at the top of his lungs.
"My brother! He died in that bullshit battle to suppress 'heretics' last time!"
His roar lit the entire powder keg.
"Fuck the Prophet! I'm done!"
"Give us back our pay!"
"Overthrow the Evil God! Expel the Prophet!"
One, ten, a hundred...
Countless local soldiers, treated as pawns and cannon fodder, made their choice through action.
They either threw down their weapons or turned their guns, their bloodshot eyes staring intently at the "overseers" beside them.
The situation in the square reversed completely in just a few minutes.
The encircling army instantly split.
On one side were the local garrison forces, newly awakened and consumed by rage.
On the other was Prophet Kane's Supervisory Squad, composed of America players, and the few fanatical believers who remained stubbornly deluded.
"Traitors! You damned traitors! Kill them! Kill these scum who have betrayed the Mother Goddess!"
Prophet Kane's exasperated roars, amplified by a magical device, echoed distortedly across the city.
He completely failed to understand how the cult he had painstakingly built could crumble because of a few words.
However, his orders had already lost their effect.
What awaited the Supervisory Squad were countless angry swords and spells.
The City Guard's mutiny turned into a storm that swept through the entire city, instantly drowning all of Winred!
Lin Qingyue stood on the steps, holding her giant scythe, quietly watching the "new army" below that had instantly defected to fight for her.
She slowly raised her head, her gaze seeming to pierce through layers of buildings to stare directly at a certain corner where someone was spying from the shadows, a mischievous smile curving at the corner of her mouth.
She declared loudly to the sky:
"My apologies, Mr. Cain."
"Your army now belongs to me."
Winred City had descended into utter chaos.
The previously united besieging force was now split into two factions, fighting a deathmatch against each other.
The local garrison forces, now awakened and led by their respective officers, were locked in a brutal street battle against the Prophet's elite units.
Shouts, the clash of weapons, and magical explosions erupted from all sides.
The "Inevitable Dragnet" that had once targeted Lin Qingyue's party had collapsed of its own accord.
"What... What do we do now?"
Xia Lian leaped down from the roof, momentarily at a loss as she witnessed the surreal scene before her.
The plan was never supposed to go like this. Their plan was to break through the encirclement or, at the very least, find an opportunity to retreat.
But now, they had inexplicably become the "spiritual leaders" of this citywide mutiny.
"Sis, that was way too ruthless."
Lin Xiyue, shield slung over her shoulder, moved to Lin Qingyue's side, her eyes filled with unconcealable excitement and admiration.
"Turning an entire army with just a few words... That's way more effective than ten thousand [Holy Charges]!"
"Standard procedure, standard procedure."
Lin Qingyue waved her hand, but the expression on her face betrayed the smugness in her heart.
So this is the power of a speech? I love it!
Su Wan, meanwhile, was rapidly assessing the situation: "The mutiny is mainly concentrated among the City Guard composed of locals. Their faith in the Prophet and the Mother of Rebirth was never strong to begin with. The Prophet's core forces, those American Class-users and the Steam Magitech Mecha Legion, are still a huge threat."
The moment her words fell.
Wuuu— Wuuu—!
An even more piercing and jarring alarm sounded from the city's central district.
The ground began to tremble rhythmically, becoming more violent.
At the end of the street, rows of Steam Magitech Mecha, their single red eyes glowing, marched forward in perfect unison. Like a moving steel wall, they slowly pressed on.
The cannon ports on their shoulders had already opened, flashing with an ominous alchemical glow. Without any hesitation, their cold metallic bodies opened fire indiscriminately on the chaotic crowd below!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions erupted in the ranks of the rebel soldiers, sending flesh and soil flying.
These war machines had no emotion, no hesitation; they only executed the Prophet's final command: eliminate all "traitors."
The City Guard who had just defected were utterly defenseless, their flesh-and-blood bodies no match for these steel behemoths.
The newly ignited morale began to collapse visibly.
"No, we can't win! These tin cans are too tough!"
"Run for your lives!"
The army they had finally persuaded to defect was about to crumble under the absolute suppression of firepower.
"Sis, your trick doesn't work on tin cans!" Lin Xiyue shouted anxiously, holding her shield.
Su Wan and Xia Lian also looked grave, preparing for a desperate fight.
But as Lin Qingyue watched the advancing steel wall, a classic meme she had seen in her past life unexpectedly flashed through her mind.
[Navia: Can I use Persuade on it.jpg]
An absurd impulse surged in her heart.
Wait... the description for [Speech] is... 70% chance to persuade non-boss enemy units...
It never said the unit had to be a living creature!
The soul of a troll flared up at this very moment!
Lin Qingyue's chest heaved as she gathered her strength once again.
The giant scythe in her hand struck the ground with a heavy clank!
The crisp sound of metal clashing turned into an invisible command, actually bringing the steel torrent's movements to a halt.
Then, she spoke in a tone even more divine and solemn than before.
"Lost steel creations!"
"Have you forgotten the glory of the God of Machinery and Creation?!"