A rebel victory is imminent and hope takes hold among Mustang and Armstrong’s troops. Central's forces teeter on the brink of collapse – until their fallen leader returns to take control.
Full Synopsis
Ed's group continues through the underground towards Father's lair though Ed wonders which way. When Roy Mustang suggests they are lost, it enrages Ed since if it weren't for him and Scar, Mustang would have lost his way earlier. Mustang shrugs it off by stating it was with Lt. Hawkeye's help that he was able to regain his control of his senses earlier. Scar asks that they keep it down or the enemy will find them. Hawkeye thanks Scar for helping her bring Mustang back to his senses earlier, expecting that Scar as an Ishvalan would not like to be thanked from someone like her. A shocked Scar responds that her words aren't needed.
Outside, the Briggs soldiers receive orders to stop the Briggs Tank's firing on Central Command, as a message is relayed to Central's soldiers over the loudspeakers that Brigg's soldiers have taken control. While Central's forces are stunned, inside General Klemin realizes that the firing of Brigg's tank on Central Command was a diversion for Izumi Curtis to use her alchemy to dig a hole underground to enter Central Command undetected, which Izumi confirms.
At the area they are in, once they learn that the Operations Center has been taken over, Olivier Armstrong patches in to Captain Buccaneer and alerts him to the threat of the Mannequin Soldiers and orders for him to deal with them as soon as possible before they can escape from the Command Center and into the city. Before another General can take control while in the Führer's office, the Mannequin soldiers arrive and kill him and his entourage, while more appear where Olivier and Alex Armstrong are.
Olivier responds to a soldier's question that these Mannequins are known as the Immortal Legion who are implanted with human souls and do not fear death to which the soldier and the other recruits will likely have their souls implanted in them when they die, which the soldier is freaked out with. Sloth regenerates his way out of Alex's spikes again and moves at high speed, which knocks Alex and Olivier to the ground before Alex could ensnare him again with another transmuted spike. Alex orders the soldiers not to help them since they are what Sloth is after. When one of the soldiers notices one of Sloth's large chains near them, they are able to use it to delay Sloth from using his speed to further injure Alex and Olivier. Though they wish to have them flee, Alex remembering his previous disgrace from the Ishval Civil War refuses to simply run away from the battlefield once again. Just as Sloth breaks free from the chain and charges at the Armstrong siblings, a giant transmuted hand appears and knocks Sloth down. The one responsible is Izumi, who admits that Alex is a fine man, though her husband is a hundred times finer than him. After revealing to Olivier that her subordinate Buccaneer sent her to help them, Izumi quickly grabs a charging Sloth with her arm and tosses him allowing for Sig Curtis to smack him on the neck with a powerful blow much to the Armstrong siblings shock. Alex asks who this man is, and Izumi states it is her husband, just as both muscle-bound men flex their muscles in front of each other before shaking hands. When Sloth charges again, both Alex and Sig work in perfect sync and strike him with a couple simultaneous punches, before each grabbing one of Sloth's arms and throwing him into the ceiling and Sloth lands on one of Alex's previous transmuted spikes. Before he can break free, Sloth's body dissolves due to using up the power of his Philosopher's Stone, and finding he is dying, states his last words that living was too much of bother before dissipating completely.
As Alex collapses, Sig helps him keep his spirits up, while Olivier needs time to rest from her battle so she has the soldiers head out to deal with the Mannequins. Thanking Izumi for her help, once Izumi mentions her relationship with the Elric brothers as well as being a housewife and alchemist, Olivier realizes Izumi's identity. Suspecting the Elrics are already nearby, Alex decides to help deal with the Mannequin soldiers, with Olivier ready to help despite her injuries. Alex states they as adults must not be lying down while the youngsters are fighting and Olivier agrees since they must help hold on to the burden to show the world the way to live. Though the Armstrongs wish for the Curtis's help, Izumi admits that since she is technically a sacrifice, she plans to flee in a little while after assisting with the fighting before that man catches her, as Hohenheim confronts Father in his hideout.
Father asks why Hohenheim is so sullen, to which Hohenheim responds that he is no fun anymore since he has changed compared to when he was in that flask centuries ago. Hohenheim points out that while the seven deadly sins can ruin a person that has excessive appetites, at the same time each of those feelings are imperative if one is to understand humanity. Asking why Father has cut himself off from them, Father instead attacks with alchemy, with Hohenheim asking him why he created the Homunculi and having them call him Father as he uses his own alchemy to block Father's own attacks. Hohenheim then states that back when Father was in that flask he hated the concept of family, when in fact he actually wanted one of his own.
Father responds by absorbing himself into the ground, reemerging from behind to impale Hohenheim through the gut with his arm, stating he wishes to use the Nationwide Transmutation Circle to not become a human, but instead a perfect being, and plans on absorbing the Philosopher's Stone within Hohenheim for himself. However his plan to immediately integrate it fails, and Hohenheim states that Father's plan won't go as smoothly as expected.
In Central, the jeep containing Als group is caught in a drainhole cover. While Al plans for him and Heinkel to handle getting the tire out, they are unaware of a mysterious figure passing by them.
At Central, Buccaneer saves a trio of female soldiers from the Mannequins before asking them to retreat to the Operations Center, though he also admits these Mannequin soldiers are also partly helping their own cause of dealing with Central's troops. In their area, the Armstrong siblings and the Curtis family easily take out the Mannequins without needing help from the other soldiers. They then see General Edison being attacked by them, surprised they are doing this since they are supposed to be on their side. Izumi saves Edison and just as he asks for her to join his side, she punches Edison in the gut, asking what he said about this "good gentleman" and wishes to know more.
Olivier and Alex arrive in the Führer's office, which is in a mess due to the earlier battle. As she states that operations will not be set up here due to it being too easy to be shot, Olivier learns of a stairway that leads down to the basement. Suspecting it will lead to the underground area where the Mannequin soldiers originated from, Olivier is interrupted by a call stating that Buccaneer's unit has secured the main gate.
The people in the Communications room ask Buccaneer to stand by until all the Mannequin soldiers have been dealt with. Just when more reports come in confirming that 9/10's of Central Command is under their control and just as the Briggs soldiers are celebrating their victory, a voice cuts in on the radio stating that things have gone astir while he was away. Olivier realizes that King Bradley survived the assassination attempt and has returned to Central. Being the mysterious figure that passed Al's group a little earlier, he sends the communication that all of Central's remaining troops will join him, and oust these rebels from Central Command. Vato Falman quickly sees that Bradley is coming at them from the main gate.
Episode Notes
- This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 96: Two Strong Women, Chapter 97: The Two Philosophers and Chapter 98: Greed Without Limits.
- Appearing in the background of this episode's title card are one of the Transmutation Circles engraved on Alex Louis Armstrong's gauntlets and the Flamel.
- When Briggs soldiers are celebrating their victory, they say in the original dub: "hip hip hooray," which is a term that comes since 19th century in England.
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