"What do you mean?!"
Hughes's brow furrowed deeply. He had heard of the Philosopher's Stone, the panacea revered by countless alchemists. Why did this man speak of it with such disdain?
"Equivalent Exchange, the principle alchemists abide by. This thing... is merely a 'gold coin' that substitutes for every cost. But do you know what materials are used to make those 'gold coins'?"
"It couldn't be precious metals. Based on what you said, I can vaguely guess the category you're referring to."
"Blood and souls. In other words, this bastard's body is stuffed with the corpses and vengeful souls of tens of thousands of people."
At those words, the lieutenant colonel's expression immediately turned exceedingly ugly. He stared at the black-haired young man in disbelief. Seeing him bare his teeth in a vicious grin, Hughes even instinctively felt the urge to vomit.
The corpses and souls of tens of thousands of people?!
Why would such a monster appear near the Central Intelligence Department?
He keenly sensed something... Countless pieces of intelligence rapidly connected in his mind, and his expression grew even darker.
"The Ishval Civil War..."
"The Guenther Campaign..."
"I'd been wondering why this country had suffered large-scale riots, civil wars, and inexplicable cult rituals ever since its founding."
"Were these Homunculi created by the upper ranks of the military?"
The lieutenant colonel stared intently at Shirou Emiya, seeking an answer.
"Find out for yourselves, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. If you don't witness these things firsthand, you won't believe me. Once you fully trust my intelligence, use that thing to contact me again and formally commission me to answer your questions... Also, I can offer you a little help."
"As for the price, that incompetent colonel should understand."
With that, he opened the Aurora Curtain again and carried Envy away from this world. After Shirou Emiya and Envy vanished from the office, Hughes's expression became extremely grim.
Everything that had happened so abruptly threw his thoughts into utter chaos. It took him a full several dozen minutes to slowly calm down, his expression turning grave once more.
"That Homunculus's disappearance may cause some trouble. But if my assumptions are correct, if the Homunculi truly are connected to the military's upper ranks, they'll immediately investigate the Intelligence Department."
"In the worst-case scenario, the military will imprison all of us and force us to reveal the Homunculus's whereabouts."
"...That man is forcing me to choose: cooperate with him, surrender and be captured, or completely side with the military's upper ranks."
This exceptionally sharp-minded lieutenant colonel analyzed every possibility in a short span of time, then rapidly considered his next course of action.
Side with the military's upper ranks and consume the so-called Philosopher's Stone like they did?
He couldn't accept that.
Surrendering was even more impossible.
Then...
"He only left me one path."
"I have to leave Central as soon as possible. And I have to make a huge commotion, so everyone realizes I was the one who dealt with the Homunculus while concealing my tracks."
"Right. I must leave behind some clues, enough for the military's upper ranks to realize that I know their secret!"
A fierce glint emerged in the lieutenant colonel's eyes. He had his precious wife and daughter, so he absolutely could not...
"Oh, right, right. I nearly forgot. If you feel your wife and daughter's safety is threatened, why not entrust them to me first? Once you're gone, I'll raise your wife and daughter for you."
Suddenly, that infuriating voice from earlier unexpectedly rang out in the office again. Hughes turned around and saw Shirou Emiya standing in his office once more, a teasing smile at the corner of his lips.
"This is a token of goodwill for a future ally, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes."
"Get out! You really do have improper thoughts about my adorable Elysia!"
"Lieutenant Colonel, you wouldn't want to see your wife wearing a black veil in church, clutching your daughter as she weeps, would you?"
"...I'll cooperate with you. I'm willing to cooperate with you. So please, tell me every secret in this country. Tell me how to protect my family and save my country!"
You have received a new commission!!
Alright!
"Maybe I was too gentle with the Elric brothers. Those two bratty kids in their rebellious phase just wouldn't listen to reason."
"As expected, reliable adults are easier to negotiate with."
Sitting in the lieutenant colonel's office, eating his snacks and drinking his afternoon tea, Mr. Emiya looked utterly at ease.
"Homunculi."
"Dwarf in the Flask."
"So the reason our country was born was actually this absurd?"
The overall plot of Fullmetal Alchemist was actually simple and straightforward. Like the JOJO series, despite the many twists, its main thread never strayed from its core. The course of the entire story had no decisive connection to the Elric brothers; they had merely happened to be chosen as sacrifices. The true centerpiece of the story was Dwarf in the Flask.
It had hidden behind the scenes, founded this country, and created seven Homunculi to help complete its plan to become a god. The entire population was material it had prepared to create a Philosopher's Stone for itself. To achieve its ultimate goal—to devour the Gate of Truth and become the god of this world—it still lacked those taboo-breakers who had come into contact with God: alchemists who had performed Human Transmutation, paid the price, and survived.
The story's protagonists, the Elric brothers, as well as this lieutenant colonel's close friend Roy Mustang in the future, were all among the sacrifices.
After he gave the lieutenant colonel a brief overview of the setting of Fullmetal Alchemist's world, the lieutenant colonel fell into an emo state. He had never imagined that the country's very birth was a massive trap, and that all of them had been viewed as materials for a Philosopher's Stone from the start.
"Unforgivable."
A chilling light began to surge in the middle-aged man's eyes.
"We were not born into this world to become food for that so-called Dwarf in the Flask."
"Humanity... life... What did these arrogant fiends think life was?"
"Alchemy should never have been such a twisted art! It should not be something used to destroy humanity, exploit humanity, or serve as the power of war!"
"Lord Emiya, after you study that Homunculus, could you hand it over to me as evidence?"
"You want to use it to win someone's trust?"
"My close friends, Roy Mustang and Alex Louis Armstrong, as well as our former superior, Olivia Mira Armstrong."
"If we gain those two's trust, we'll have a chance to save the country."
"There's actually a faster solution."
"What solution?"
Shirou Emiya smiled, then pointed toward a building somewhere due south.
"It's simple. I can just capture that Dwarf in the Flask directly. Eliminating the root cause from the very beginning is undoubtedly the simplest method."
"...You can do that?!"
The lieutenant colonel stood up excitedly. He had originally assumed that Shirou Emiya would only offer them intelligence assistance. They would still need to rely on their own strength to recruit officers in the military who retained their conscience, seize military command before the Central Military Department's upper ranks could react, and only then deal with those scum in the military and Dwarf in the Flask.
"Leave the afternoon tea for now. I'll be back in a moment."
Mr. Emiya had no interest in following the plot of Fullmetal Alchemist step by step. Since he had the ability to deal with the final boss, there was no need to waste more effort on trivial details.
He was essentially a speedrunner on his second playthrough now. All he cared about was efficiency and returns.
As for the plot?
Skip----!
There was still plenty to deal with on the Xianzhou side, so there was no need to waste too much time here. He stood up directly, summoned the stand Moody Blues, positioned it where Envy had just been, and began continuously adjusting time backward.
Moody Blues's ability could directly lock onto an area or person, capture their actions in the past, and transform into that target to reenact them.
As long as he rewound far enough, locating Dwarf in the Flask was merely a matter of time.
Setting Moody Blues to replay the past at a hundredfold speed, Shirou Emiya quickly followed his stand through the places Envy had previously visited, eventually descending deep underground...
"Not bad efficiency."
After leaping into the underground tunnel, protected by the Faceless King, Shirou Emiya silently infiltrated the underground facility. After passing through layer upon layer of obstacles, he arrived in a rather spacious secret chamber.
A blond middle-aged man lay in a chair, with numerous needles inserted into his limbs, continuously injecting some blood-like substance into his body.
That was the Philosopher's Stone.
Shirou Emiya had no intention of wasting words on this thoroughly evil villain. He immediately used a restraint device to seal the entire being away. It instinctively began struggling, reflexively intending to use alchemy to resist.
But...
There was not much point.
He had copied this restraint device from Herta Space Station. It could restrain even an eruption of Stellaron energy, let alone this mere Dwarf in the Flask.
"Who are you?!"
The restrained blond middle-aged man seemed to belatedly realize that he could not break free from the device's restrictions, and his expression immediately twisted in fury.
"You put me inside something like this again?!"
Emotional value from Homunculus +99
"This little thing drops plenty of coins. It says it split off the Seven Deadly Sins, yet its pride is still so fragile?"
Mr. Emiya's eyes lit up slightly. He suddenly had an interesting idea about this little thing.
When it had first been created in this world, it had been placed inside a cramped container. Ever since then, it had hated things that bound it so tightly.
It craved freedom beyond measure. It craved standing above everyone else and obtaining everything...
"Giving proper despair to the arrogant and ignorant—isn't that the creed you approve of, Dwarf in the Flask? Homunculus."
"That is something meant for you lowly humans!"
"From where I stand, you pitiful little thing seems far more lowly than humans."
Emotional value from Homunculus +99
Nice!
Electronic snack +1!
Carrying the restraint device, Shirou Emiya raised his hand and opened the Aurora Curtain again, returning directly to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes's office.
The lieutenant colonel seemed to have just finished tidying the tea set. Seeing Shirou Emiya return yet again, he froze unconsciously.
"...Did you forget something you needed to tell me?"
"It's settled."
He tossed the restraint device he was carrying directly into the center of the office.
"This is the boss of those Homunculi. It calls itself their father—the first Homunculus, Homunculus... If you think that title's too long, you can call it the Founding Father or the founding emperor. In fact, it really is this country's founder and angel investor."
"..."
The lieutenant colonel was speechless. He was supposed to call this monster—which regarded ordinary citizens like them as Philosopher's Stone materials—the Founding Father?
"Please toss this thing somewhere far away. If it stays in my office, I'll probably be too disgusted to drink afternoon tea for months."
"I won't allow you to talk about the pet I'm planning to raise like that!"
"You intend to raise it? On human flesh and souls?"
"What kind of pet eats that well? Besides, it's eaten a little too much over the past few centuries. Later, I'll need to put it on an operating table, help it lose some weight, and suction out some fat."
"An operating table?!"
"That's right."
"Then you really should suction out more. Your pet is indeed a little too fat."
Three-hour Fullmetal Alchemist speedrun.
Your commission "Save the Country · Part Three" has been completed (eliminate the ultimate Homunculus threat within this country).
You received 240 points + the Fullmetal Alchemist rate-up banner is now open.
The Fullmetal Alchemist collaboration banner is available for a limited time. SSR "Gate of Truth Entry Ticket (World-Limited)," SR "Seven Deadly Sins (Homunculus)," SR "Unarranged Transmutation (Edward Elric)," and SR "Sloane's Notes (Sloane)." Limited draw rewards will be granted directly after 50, 100, and 300 pulls.
"Of the three commissioned tasks, only the Homunculi were somewhat easy to deal with."
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