After drawing this brand-new [Singularity] technology, Obsidian wasn't in a hurry to put it into action.
Ultimately, this was still just a lost [Singularity]—Obsidian planned to entrust it to a Workshop, letting them mass-produce fabrics using this technology.
Thus, his first task was to establish such a Workshop and outfit it immediately with the proper equipment. Hai personally handled the entire process. After twelve straight hours of overtime, a Workshop composed half of Obsidian's chosen experts and half of specialists gathered from across The City was successfully established.
Obsidian named it simply and bluntly: "The Eighth Chef."
Affiliated directly under the Hana Association, once the Workshop was set up, Obsidian dusted off his hands, leaving the remaining affairs to Hai while he began assembling The City's current fighting force.
Particularly, those who'd be most useful in the upcoming battle.
According to Theresa, the three-nation coalition still needed a little time to formally invade The City—approximately three days, at least.
All Obsidian had to do was use these three days to swiftly identify which forces would need to join the coming fight.
Both Fixer Associations were quickly excluded. With Don Quixote away, Hai remained their strongest combatant—but Hai alone wouldn't drastically sway the battlefield.
The Thumb was dismissed similarly.
In Obsidian's assessment, personnel from these Associations and syndicates would suffice as minor battlefield support and general labor.
As for the Index… Obsidian did briefly consider their involvement, but since Kazdel's Index system was still incomplete, he only sent a few Prescripts via Suo, calling back a handful of Proselytes, then dropped the matter.
The Index needed more time to properly mature.
Ultimately, Obsidian concluded after careful thought that the main force for this war would have to be K Corp's Fixers and Lobotomy Corporation's "employees."
At present, K Corp had a decent number of Grade 3 Fixers, along with several Grade 4 operatives. Equipped with weapons developed from [Dissolution] and [Regeneration Ampoules], their fighting power was far from weak.
Moreover, with the home-field advantage and K Corp's countless eccentric gadgets…
Previously, when the frontline was in Kazdel, Obsidian had needed to consider supply logistics. Transporting [Ampoules] all the way there had been complicated; thus, extreme maneuvers like "[Ampoule Rain]" had only been performed once as a demonstration.
However… on their home turf, such concerns no longer existed.
Lobotomy Corporation's employees were even easier to handle. Though they didn't number many, they already possessed several sets of WAW and HE-class [EGO] equipment, making them individually formidable.
And besides, they weren't the true backbone of the operation.
They were merely battlefield cleaners.
Even Extraction Team personnel were essentially glorified janitors—since the actual main fighting force was someone else entirely.
With all these preparations in place, Obsidian also assigned The Eighth Chef personnel as battlefield cleaners. After all, it would be wasteful not to fully utilize these incoming enemies.
Finally, with everything arranged, Obsidian calmly settled himself in his small wooden cabin, smiling faintly as he awaited the arrival of the three-nation coalition.
---
The coalition's representatives eventually adopted Leithanien's proposal.
Kazdel had already delayed them too long. Rather than enduring endless harassment, it was better to strike decisively, cutting off Kazdel's supplies directly. Without outside support, the isolated Kazdel would easily fall.
With this conviction, the coalition confidently embarked upon their march toward The City.
A path… fraught with danger and hardship.
Or rather—a path with no hope of survival.
That very day, Kazdel quickly noticed that a significant portion of the coalition forces had vanished from the front lines. Acting cautiously, they didn't dispatch mercenaries to harass the remaining enemies. Instead, Theresa and Theresis immediately sought out Heal to discuss next steps.
"They've headed for The City," Heal informed them matter-of-factly, interrupting their questions before they could even ask.
For a moment, both siblings were speechless. Theresa hesitated briefly before finally voicing her concern:
"The City… will be alright, won't it?"
Although Heal had reassured them earlier, genuine worry still lingered at this critical juncture.
Kazdel's current battlefield success relied almost entirely upon The City's supply support. If anything happened to The City now, Kazdel would quickly find itself in deep trouble.
"Don't worry," Heal calmly replied, turning her back on them and gazing into the distance.
"All we need to do is wait. Victory is already ours."
"After all, in the end, we—The City—always win."
She whispered that last phrase softly, only audible to herself, her lips curving into an exaggerated, sinister smile.
...
It was the second day when the coalition army officially arrived at The City.
Just as before, using the pretext of The City supporting Kazdel, the three nations concocted flimsy justifications, formally declaring war as soon as their combined army arrived at The City's gates.
Despite their long march, the soldiers felt little fatigue. Instead, excitement and eagerness surged through them, as if they'd discovered new territory ripe for conquest.
They were already fantasizing about defeating The City, then effortlessly harvesting the now-defenseless Kazdel afterward.
A bright future awaited them just ahead!
Thus, tens of thousands of coalition soldiers confidently marched onto The City's soil without meeting any initial resistance.
In his little wooden cabin, Obsidian briefly scanned the eager soldiers who'd boldly stepped onto The City's land, meeting no obstacles at all, before calmly withdrawing his gaze.
Now, it was finally time.
Time to begin The City's long-awaited counterattack.
With that thought, Obsidian stretched leisurely, an amused smile forming on his lips.
According to his calculations… the show was about to start any moment now.
Come on, let's sound the horns of war.
And at that precise moment, events suddenly took an unpredictable turn.
Just as the coalition troops set foot on City territory, Lobotomy Corporation suddenly stepped forward publicly, making a shocking announcement that shook every observer to the core:
[Lobotomy Corporation had suffered a catastrophic containment breach].