Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 61 : He Who Would Swallow God

 

 Years ago, just before the tragedy of their human transmutation, Ed and Al pored over an alchemical text in their father's study that posited that the sun represented masculinity and the moon represented femininity, and that when the two combined they would create a perfect being. ..or god.

In this day and age, the infinitely great Father pulls "God" down to Earth and declares that he will no longer be limited by divinity. The entire land of Amestris is deathly silent as each of its inhabitants falls into lifelessness. However, deep in the Homunculi's lair, the five human victims mingle and are greeted by the father, who now sits on his throne in a new body. Now recalling Van Hohenheim as a young man, the Homunculus notes that he has absorbed God; Ed is skeptical, but Van explains that with a large enough power source - such as a massive Philosopher's Stone - something like this is theoretically possible. May, who has also risen, asks in horror how many people were sacrificed to forge such a stone, and Mustang replies that Amestris boasts a population of roughly fifty million people.

Ed tries to attack his father, but with a simple gesture the Homunculus leader closes the alchemy again and bids farewell to his guests, conjuring a miniature sun in his palm to strike down his pious enemies. However, he suddenly senses that something is wrong; Hohenheim speaks and reveals that his countermeasure took effect once the Homunculus swallowed the God. Van explains that he had countless decades to devise a plan of attack and sent several souls out of his body and into the ground in several places around the countryside in preparation for this day, asking them to help the people of Amestris and defeat the father when the time came. Father scoffs at Hohenheim's plan, commenting that he may have provided the points, but that there is no circle large enough to connect and activate them. However, Hohenheim replies that the ring does exist - an extremely powerful one that would activate on its own. As the moon's massive circular shadow - cast by the eclipsed sun - moves across the Earth's surface, the five places Van has traveled to burn with light from the stored souls, activating the umbral transmutation circle.

The power of the circle rushing to Central is fifty million souls of the Amestrian people stripped from the body of the Homunculus and scattered, drawn by their still intact spirits directly back into their own bodies. All around the nation, every collapsed person wakes in disbelief to life, dimly aware of the terrible torment they have suffered for a brief moment. Father writhes in agony on his throne as Hohenheim explains that without fifty million American souls to bolster his power, he no longer has the strength to hold God in his body. Furious Father claims that he can always create another Philosopher's Stone using a hundred million or even a billion lives, since the energy source called "human" is unlimited and unleashes a wave of energy on his human enemies, but May transforms the Alkahesteric barrier around them all, declaring that the specialty of her craft is harnessing the flow of energy in the earth, and that the more energy thrown at her, the more she is able to harness. However, when the father fires another salvo, Hohenheim must act quickly to block it with his hands that burn and crumble, as he is shown to lack the energy to compete with his father. As he begins to back away, Ed and Al rush to his aid and hold him so he can continue to fight, and the grateful father redoubles his efforts, straining his Philosopher's Stone. Ed prays Scar makes it in time.

But upstairs, Scar and King Bradley (Wrath), who both survived, also resume their duel, during which Wrath notes that Scar is going against his own God with alchemy, which was said to be blasphemy, and asks Ishvalan if during through the constant massacre of his people he came to the realization that there is no such thing as "God". But as Bradley speaks and prepares a killing blow with his sword, the sun peeks out from behind the moon and reflects off the blade, momentarily blinding him. Scar seizes his opportunity and strikes, snapping his sword and deconstructing both of King Bradley's arms. Bradley, too tenacious to stop, gripped the broken blade of his sword in his teeth and delivered one last stab at the Scarred Man's body before both men collapsed. As Bradley bleeds out on the floor, amused by this providential twist of fate, Lan Fan appears on the scene and approaches him. Bradley asks if she has come to avenge her grandfather, but she only asks if the Führer has any last words for his wife. Wrath coldly replies that he has none. His wife was someone of his own choosing; there is no need for "last words" between a king and his queen.

As his skin cracks and his hair turns white, Bradley comments that he has lived his life on the tracks his father set for him, but that his last years have been somewhat fun and enjoyable thanks to the actions of the devious people around him. King Bradley closes his eyes and leaves this world. However, Lan Fan still feels life from his body and reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Philosopher's Stone. Bleeding and suffocating, Scar begs Lan Fan to help him go to the five-point circle drawn by the Goldtooth Doctor, explaining that it lies at the center of the Nationwide Transmutation Circle. Scar comments that his hatred hasn't gone away, but his desire to help the people of Amestris has grown with it, Scar remembers his brother talking about negative and positive energy flows and feelings and places both hands on the floor, activating the runes. his hands. The energy flows outward to the five points around Central City where the Ishvalan refugees have laid tarps with the Reverse Nationwide Transmutation Circle, and then across the land, activating the circle.

Down below, Hohenheim senses the transmutation and tells his boys that the time has come. Without hesitation, Edward reveals that his alchemy is working again and uses it to attack Father and Pride. Bolstered by the return of their powers, the alchemists prepare to attack together. Scar explains to Lan Fan that his brother studied both alchemy and alcahestry, and in doing so discovered that the alchemists in Amestris were unable to tap into the full range of earth energy as alcahestrians because of the Philosopher's Stone layer of energy. under the whole ground as an inhibitor. When his brother discovered the Nationwide Transmutation Circle and devised an alkahestric counter on top of it, he created a way to negate the inhibitor and release the Earth's energy for alchemical use. Ed, Al and Izumi continue to attack the father and Hohenheim explains that they can win if they can force the Homunculus to use up all the energy of his Philosopher's Stone. Greed emerges from the shadows to aid in the fight, but Father merely deflects all of their attacks and rises to the surface.

When Oliver and Alex encounter Riza and her chimera companions, they witness the father ascending past them into the central command courtyard, where he transforms the souls of several of Briggs' soldiers into a tiny philosopher's stone. Hohenheim realizes the Homunculus' target and pursues him. The others prepare to follow, but Edward is suddenly caught in one of the Pride's dark tendrils and tells them to continue while he deals with Selim Bradley. Izumi, Roy, Al, and May make their way to the surface, but when they encounter the Armstrongs, Hawkeye, and Sig on the landing above, they leave the blind Mustang in their care while they continue. Roy explains to Riza that his eyes no longer work and asks her if she can still fight through her injuries, to which she says yes. Greed, also following his father, arrives at the level where Lan Fan and Scar are recovering, and upon seeing Wrath's corpse, notes that the dead Führer has a satisfied expression.

Pride mocks Greed's lack of proper propriety in associating with inferiors, but Ed mocks Pride's willingness to obey the Father without thinking of himself, even though the same father didn't bat an eye at his eldest son being ripped apart. separately in his presence. Enraged, Pride rams his dark limbs into Edward's wounds and declares that he will replace his own crumbling shell with the body of a man who, like his own father, is of Van Hohenheim blood. However, within the Homuncul's own being, the soul of Solf J. Kimblee speaks from the screaming storm of the tormented anima and declares that the Pride cannot be allowed to take Edward's body. Pride expresses his disbelief that Kimblee will be able to maintain his individuality in the vortex of souls and demands to know why he would interfere now, but Kimblee replies that the chorus of screams is music to his ears and that his interference is due to the fact that Pride , who speaks of "honor like a homunculus," abandoned his beliefs and honor to flee death into the body of a human—a being he had always considered inferior—and thus lost the crimson lotus himself. respect.

Freeing himself from his bonds, Edward grabbed Pride's head and transformed back into a one-soul Philosopher's Stone, forcing his way into the Homunculus' psyche. While Pride thinks about his "parents" and fears that Ed will kill him here, Kimblee comments that Selim doesn't understand Edward's beliefs at all and leaves. In the physical plane, Edward crushes Pride's skull in his automail hand and the rest of the Homuncula's body crumbles into dust. But when Edward opens his fist, he reveals a tiny sleeping being in his hand: the embryonic pure form of Homunculus Pride. Ed marches off to the other battlefield with a small child in a tied cloak, promising to apologize to Mrs. Bradley later, while Pride whines for his mother.