We kept on running until we were stuck by a literal roadblock. There was a giant mass of a dark purple blob covered in huge bumps in front of us, with no way over, under, or around it. We all stopped at stared at the thing, stepping back cautiously to see if it was a trap. The blob shifted around, as if it was something alive. "What is that?" Darius asked.
"Is the good gentlemen, or Father, or whoever it is, in there?" Zampano wondered. Now that he just pointed it out, he did have a point. Lieutenant Hawkeye tensed, remembered Wrath's words on Colonel Mustang before relaxing a bit.
Darius set Lieutenant Hawkeye down as he stretched, giving his arms that he held her in a rest. We all sat down for a quick breather. I stared at my still bleeding hand that Wrath had stabbed. Testing to see if I could use it, I clapped my hands and placed them on the ground to see if a spark formed. Nothing. "Damn it!" I cussed before curling up, doing my best to not cry.
"Can't use your alchemy?" Lieutenant Hawkeye asked.
"Yeah," I sniffed staring at my wounded hand again. "At least he didn't take out my automail arm. Once this heals over, I probably have to get it redone. Until then, I'm down to my swords." I remembered that scar on the back of Colonel's hand where he told me that when we fought Lust, she tore his gloves and he carved a circle on the back of use hand and it worked just as fine. I turned my hand over, relieved that Wrath didn't stab all the way through so the back of my hand wasn't affected. I drew my sword and carefully began to cut my transmutation circle onto my hand.
"Hey, what the--" Darius started.
"This is no time to be cutting yourself!" Jerso scolded.
"It's fine," I glanced at them. "It doesn't hurt, actually. I know what I am doing."
"Are you cutting your transmutation circle onto your hand?" Zampano asked.
"Yup," I nodded. "I got the circle memorized. It's the first thing I see every morning."
I tested to see if it worked or I have to cut deeper. I clapped my hands and placed them on the ground. A spark traveled to the shifting blob and a clock appeared, ticking three times before exploding. It did no damage to the blob, but at least I knew that my alchemy worked. "Yes!" I pumped my fist into the air.
Just as I did that, the blob receded, revealing a giant, open hole. Just as we were about to look down, we heard the sound of guns being loaded to see men in Briggs uniform aiming their sniper rifles at us. "Freeze!" They shouted. "Take it nice and easy."
More Briggs men, including General Armstrong with her arm in a sling, a shirtless Major Armstrong, and a tan man with black hair who was just as muscular as Major Armstrong. "Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Major Armstrong gasped.
"Major," She sighed before someone on a piece of rock riding literal lava as it sot upwards and out of the giant hole above us, which was covered by the blob earlier.
Suddenly, a column and a giant hand rose up as well, revealing a woman in a white dress and braided black hair in a similar fashion as cornrows with Colonel accompanying her and Alphonse on the column. It stopped when she spotted us. "Dear?" The woman shouted.
"Izumi!" The muscular man with black hair cried as he jumped into the giant hand she transmuted to hug her,. She must of been one of the sacrifices as well if she was down there. As they parted, the woman of Izumi said, "This is no time to relax. Look after the Colonel."
"Right," nodded the muscular man as he helped Mustang off the giant hand.
"Colonel!" Lieutenant Hawkeye created.
Izumi and Alphonse transmute their hand and column to rise up even more. "There's someone up there that we have to eliminate, so we're off," She shouted.
"Are you injured, Colonel?" Lieutenant Hawkeye asked as I gathered as well to check up on how he was.
"My eyes have had it," Colonel explained, uncovering his eyes to reveal that they were grey with no pupil. I gasped. He was blind. That was the sacrifice Wrath talked about before Colonel jumped in at the last moment to save me.
"Lieutenant, what is the status of your injuries?" Colonel asked.
"You're doing it again!" She sniffled. "Please, worry about yourself. Your eyes..."
"Can you still fight?" He said.
She calmed down before nodding, "Yes, sir!"
I dropped down to my knees as Lieutenant Hawkeye looked at me. Colonel turned his head to the direction of the sound. "I'm so sorry, Colonel," I apologize, near tears. "It's my fault you're like this."
"Clockwork..." He muttered. "It's alright. I have to protect my subordinates as well as my family."
I gave the Colonel a tearful smile as he was helped up by Major Armstrong where he, Lieutenant Hawkeye, Zampano, Darius, and I were lead back up to the surface where a battle was taking place. Briggs soldiers were fighting a man wearing a white cloth wrapped around his lower half. He was lean but muscular and every vein on his face protruded, and he had golden hair and eyes. It was Father. One of the soldiers ran up to Major Armstrong during the gunfire and yelled him something. "Colonel, use your flames!" Major Armstrong translated.
"All right!" He nodded, preparing to snap bus fingers. I crouched down, clapping my hands as Colonel Mustang snapped his fingers, releasing a wave of flames as I sent my explosives after Father. Together both of our explosions collided, creating a massive ball of flames. Once the smoke cleared, Father stood with not a single burn around him as there was a burnt trail where our fiery attacks were just at, and the trail surrounded him as well. We missed. "Did I hit him?" Colonel asked
"You were off by just a bit," Lieutenant Hawkeye reported. "Adjust targeting to 12 o'clock!"
Colonel clapped his hands, "I can't see, so I can't throttle the flames."
"You don't have to throttle them at all!" Lieutenant Hawkeye responded. "Range 50. No, 53!"
"This clapping transmutation just feels weird!" Colonel Mustang muttered.
"Well, you're gonna have to get used to them!" I looked back up at him, still in my crouched position.
Colonel snapped and I clapped and transmuted a spark, following the direction of his oath of flames as Father held a hand out, absorbing our explosions, and sending them right back at us. "Incoming attack, dead ahead!" Lieutenant Hawkeye shouted. Colonel clapped his hand and transmuted a wall, protecting us from the flames. "Nicely done," Lieutenant Hawkeye smiled, holding an arm over her face so she could block the smoke that was billowing around her.
"Oh, this is handy," Colonel Mustang smirked.
"Fire! Fire! Keep firing!" Briggs soldiers yelled as they sent their bullets and explosions at Father.
"Don't stop firing!" Major Armstrong shouted as he punched falling boulders, turning them into steel arrow tips and sending them right back at Father. "Make him use his Philosopher's Stone!"
As the steel arrows struck Father, smoke rose up, blocking Father from us. Zampano and Lan Fan jumped up from the smoke. Zampano shot his spikes at Father while Lan Fan yanked the cap of a grenade off with her teeth and threw them at him. Darius lifted a giant boulder up and threw it at Father along with some missiles being fired at him but he blocked it with a shield that was formed with red sparks. So that's how he was shielding himself from our attacks.
Izumi transmuted a line of walls, encasing Father within. "Now he's toast!" Colonel shouted as he snapped and I sent another spark of explosives at him. With a wall surrounding Father, there's no escaping it now. As the fiery explosions hit him, it blew up, but as the smoke cleared Father was still standing amongst the ash rain.
"No effect whatsoever," Major Armstrong gawked. "We have to do something about his defenses."
"How futile," Father chastised. "You poor humans can't do anything but lay a finger on me."
Through the smoke of the bullet hell, Greeling emerged with his grey armor on. "If humans can't, then how about a Homunculus!" He shouted as he punched Father in the face. His hand went right through his forehead as he crouched, using Father's shoulders as a foot rest.
"You're just in time, Greed," Father smiled. "Such an obedient son. I happened to need another Philosopher's Stone. I'll be taking yours."
Veins appeared on Greeling's armor and began to pulse red as Father began to absorb Greeling's stone. Greeling yelped as he began to tug at his arm to pull it out before grinning devilishly, "Just kidding! You can't take my Philosopher's Stone unless you drop your barrier, huh? You didn't think that you could have your godly powers taken from you, did you?" The veins became silver and Greeling began to absorb Father's Philosopher's Stone. "I will be taking all of it!"
"Greed!" Edward shouted as he punched Father but was blocked by a wall.
Major Armstrong tried to do the same thing but was blocked by a bigger wall. Izumi climbed up and slid down the other ide, transmuting a portion if the wall into swords as she began to slash at Father with them. As Edward and Major Armstrong got back up to attack, Edward shouted, "Don't give up!" He, Major Armstrong, and Izumi began to fight Father but were blocked by the barrier. Father's eyes turned white as he sent Edward, Izumi, Major Armstrong and even Greeling back with a wall of red sparks. Amidst all the chaos, Edward's automail arm just literally fell apart right then and there.
Edward jumped up to kick Father but was blocked by an arm, Father flung him to the side and Edward rolled until he was back on his feet. Father bent over as a black, ashy smoke that escaped from his mouth in streaks as he bent over and red sparks flickered around him. "He's breaking apart!" Hohenheim shouted at the sidelines. "He can't keep God or whatever under his control anymore!"
Father roared as he bent over on all fours, consuming the entire battlefield in a barrier made out of red sparks, sending all of us flying in the air and landing back down on the ground that was consumed in white smoke. As the smoke cleared, everyone was lying down on the ground or trying to get up. No one was left with an injury. Father, still trembling while in all fours, stood up, the stream of black ashy smoke still trailing from his mouth. "Stone...stone!" He growled, looking at all of us with hunger in his eyes. "Philosopher's Stone!"
Father's eyes locked onto Edward, who had his arm pinned to a boulder by some sort of long, black bolt and was bleeding from the puncture wound. "Edward!" Hohenheim shouted."Get out, now!"
"Brother!" Alphonse tried to get up but fell apart upon doing so. "Run! Brother!" Edward tried to yank his arm out but more blood poured from the wound as a result and Edward gritted his teeth to prevent himself from crying out. "Stop!" Alphonse pleaded. "Damn it! Stop! Stop! Let Brother...let Brother...! Let brother...!" Alphonse stopped, as if he was having a realization. He muttered something to May, who protested loudly, but Alphonse interrupted her, bringing May to tears.
Father lumbered closer to Edward, reaching a desperate arm out. "Stone..." He moaned like a zombie. "Human...Give me..."
"Edward!" Hohenheim screamed.
"...Your energy!" Father yelled.
Suddenly, kunai shot in a perfect circle interrupted Father's rampage landed right beside Edward in the empty space that usually would be filled with his automail arm. Edward's eyes slowly traveled towards the kunai and then toward May where Alphonse was lying down with kunai surrounding him in a perfect circle as well, his exposed chest that revealed the blood seal at the nape of his armored-neck facing the sun. Alphonse lifted his arms in the air. "What do you think you're doing?" Edward viciously asked as he stared helplessly at his brother. "No! Don't! Al!"
"Beat him, Brother," Alphonse begged as he clapped his hands.
"AL!" Edward screamed. "NO!"
Alphonse placed his arm above the emptchest and his blood seal began to glow. The pink pupils in his helmet went out and just as soon as they did, Edward's human arm returned in the empty space that the kunai were just at."YOU DUMBASS!" Edward cried as he clapped his hands and transmuted a column at Father which shot through at his stomach and sent him flying. Edward yanked the bolt out of his arm and then clapped his hands violently and slammed themmonot the ground, sending multiple pillars that all struck Father at various parts all at once. Edward then transmuted a javalion which he threw at Father and struck him in his face, taking out half of Father's face, black blood pouring from the wound.
"It's working..." a Briggs soldier gasped.
"He's doing it!" Major Armstrong yelled. "He's doing it!"
"Go!" Zampano cheered.
"Kid!" Darius cheered along.
"Go!" All the Briggs soldiers cheered at once. "Let him have it, short stuff! Lay him out! Go!"
"Kick his ass, Edward!" Lieutenant Hawkeye encouraged.
"Ed!" Izumi encouraged as well.
"Go, Edward Elric!" Major Armstrong yelled.
"Please don't die!" May sobbed.
"Edward!' Hohenheim shouted.
"Go!" Lan Fan yelled.
"Fullmetal!" Colonel opened his blind eyes as he yelled.
"Fight on!" I joined in with all the cheering.
Edward swung his arm back to land a punch on Father and he attempted to block Edward with an open palm but missed and Edward punched him in the face, sending him back onto the ground. "Get up, benchwarmer!" Edward shouted. "I'm going to show you just out of our league you are!"
"All right!" Darius pumped a fist. "Clobber that bastard!"
Edward began to land more blows to Father's face, causing him to bend back and once he was right back up he was met with another punch to the face by Edward. Edward gave him a uppercut, sending Father back onto the ground, panting from the rush of adrenaline. The Briggs soldiers cheered, "He did it! We won!"
Suddenly, Father stomach inflated as a giant eyeball protruded from his mouth as he covered it and screamed, his stomach erupted in red lightning. We all covered our faces from the rush of wind as Father got back up. "Stone..." He moaned once more."Philosopher's Stone!" He leapt out towards Greeling and punched him straight through the stomach. Greeling had no time to react and couldn't shield himself with the grey armor as he usually did. Greeling grabbed onto Father's arm that the veins began to protrude and glow red and cried out in pain. "Give me your Philosopher's Stone!" Father ordered.
Suddenly, Father's arm began to turn grey like when Greeling used his grey armor on himself. "Get over here, Lan Fan!" Greeling shouted.
Lan Fan leapt through the air and using a kunai, sliced Father's arm that was in his stomach in half. The arm that was just inside Greeling crumbled, leaving behind no wound expect a torn shirt. "Greed!" Greeling cried in Ling's voice.
Father stumbled back, crying out, "How could you...Greed?!"
"Greed!" Edward yelled, running up to Greeling but the Ouroboros tattoo crumbled away on Greeling's hand, indicating that Greed was out of Ling's body and now it was just Ling.
Father's body began to turn into the grey armor that Greed often used as a shield form himself and he opened his mouth, revealing a red demonic face with red lines running down each open white slit, acting as eyes with a permanent smile consisting of his lower jaw of sharp teeth, with two prominent sharp teeth being the canine teeth. "Greed!" Father cried. "Why do you turn on your Father?!"
"Call it a delayed rebellious phase, Daddy, sir," The demonic face within Father's mouth replied. It was Greed. The grey armor on Father's body began to crumble. "With the carbonizing ability you gave me, I'll transform us into the weakest, most fragile carbon there is!"
"Crafty devil!" Father yelled as he reached within his mouth and began to pull Greed out. "Away with you, fool!" Father shouted as he bit down on Greed, chomping him into two as Greed groaned in pain. He let Greed go as Greed began to float away into the air, crumbling away before being let go by Father, taking his hand with it.
"Greed!" Ling shouted.
"Ah damn...this is it, huh?" Greed sighed before looking down at us and grinning. "What are you looking at me like that for, pissant? Sheesh, both Ling and the little runt took a pretty cocky attitude with me. Enough...yeah, that's enough. I don't need anything more. See you later, my soul...friends." Geed crumbled away into nothingness.
Edward, in a fit of rage, charged up to Father and punched him straight through the chest. As Father stumbled back, He exploded as million of red souls, aall screaming either in pain or joy from being released from Father. "My Stone...My Philosopher's Stone..." Father quivered. Tentacle-like hands came out from the hole Edward punched and began to encircle Father. "What...? What is this?"
"Go back to wherever you were born, Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus!" Edward shouted.
Father fell back as the tentacle-hands began to wrap Father up into a ball and push him down, making him smaller than he could go. "But why?" He cried, but in a much more smaller punier voice. "I wanted to know everything about this world! Without being bound by anything! Free, in the vast world! Free!"
The hands had pushed Father into a ball with just his head and it pushed Father's head down and consumed Father, making him go out in a red spark and a ball of dust. It was over. The big fight of the hour was over. But, there was no time for celebration and I glanced over at Alphonse's empty shell of an armor with May's sobbing body bent over it.