"Wait, they don't draw the circles? Then how do they do it?" Midoriya asked.
"Well, there's actually a few ways to get around simply drawing a circle, like tattooing a circle on your hands or having gloves made of special materials with the circles printed on them, but Ed and Al still have their own way of doing it, which you're about to see." The celestial explained.
"But why would they have to fight someone?" Yaoyorozu asked, concerned as to why her cousins were in combat.
"Well, in order to gain access to otherwise restricted research and other things that may help them gain their bodies back, Ed became the youngest State Alchemist ever at only the age of twelve." She told them.
"Quite impressive. I take it State Alchemists are their versions of heroes?" All Might asked.
"Well, more like super soldiers in the army, but yeah." Sandra confirmed.
"They made a twelve-year-old a soldier? What is wrong with this place?" Aizawa asked.
"Hey, they see talent and they take it. That's all there is. But, like I just said, that basically made Ed a soldier, so he and Al would have missions to go on regularly. This is one of their earlier ones." The hostess explained.
The doors of a large stone doorway adorned with a sun carving were pushed open. "This way, please. Father Cornello is a busy man, as you can imagine. But you're in luck. He's decided to spare a moment for you." A man named Cray explained as he led Edward, Alphonse and a young woman named Rose into a large chamber.
A few students gasped happily seeing Ed in a better condition. "Look! He's got both arms and legs back! They must be all better now!" Uraraka said happily.
"I don't know, Ochako. Sandra said this was one of his earlier missions, so he probably didn't find what he was looking for." Asui pointed out.
"Not to mention Al likely wouldn't still be in that armor after he got his body back." Iida added.
"Maybe he just grew attached to it... More than he already was?" Kaminari suggested.
"Doubtful. If I was trapped in a suit of armor like that, if and when I got out, I'd never want to SEE it again, let alone wear it." Sero said, shuddering at the thought.
"Yeah, thanks, we understand. We won't take too much of his time." Ed said gracefully.
However, at that moment, another man came up behind the group. "Good, then it's agreed. We'll make this quick." He declared, pulling out a gun.
"Ed! Al! No!" Yaoyorozu cried out once again.
"I mean, is Al in any real danger here? He's a metal suit of armor. The most a bullet could probably do is scratch him." Hagakure asked.
"Still, the bullets would probably rattle his body. I can't imagine that feels good." Midoriya noted.
"Speaking as someone who's been shot before, even with my Hardening Quirk, it wasn't a very pleasant experience." Kirishima confirmed.
"So, you said as long as the seal on Al's armor doesn't break, he'll be fine, but what is the extent of the damage it can take? Midnight asked.
"As long as it isn't broken to pieces or completely rubbed away, it will be fine." Sandra explained.
Edward looked back at him, while Cray pulled out a gun and aimed it at Alphonse, while two more men crossed their spears in front of Edward to keep him in place, much to the shock of Rose. "Brother Cray, what is this? What do you think you're doing?" Rose demanded.
"Rose, these heathens have come to ensnare and discredit the Father, they're evil. This is God's will." He told her.
"Brother Cray..." Rose said in shock.
"So, what is their mission here, exactly? Please tell me they're not just running around messing with religious people?" Present Mic asked.
"It would make sense. A lot of religions believe only god should have the power to change things into other things, like water into wine and all that. Alchemists have probably made enemies from certain religions." Todoroki theorized.
"Oh, you have no idea how true that is." Their hostess said, shuddering at the memories of the Ishvalan war, before shaking her head. "But no. They're investigating rumors of a priest who is able to perform miracles and create things from absolutely nothing, which is impossible, even with alchemy, as it ignores the law of equivalent exchange." Sandra said.
"So, they think the priest can perform miracles and give their bodies back?" Ashido asked.
"They think he has some an item that can." The celestial corrected.
(What kind of item could do that?) The entire audience couldn't help but wonder.
"Well, like you said, let's make this quick!" Ed declared, throwing the two men with the spears over his shoulders, shocking Cray and allowing Al to land a solid haymaker to his face, sending his gun to Rose's feet. The last man tried to run, but Ed took one of the fallen spears and tossed it at his legs, tripping him up and sending him to the floor, the spear bouncing off his head and leaving some welts as insult to injury. "Oh, yeah! Strike!" Ed cheered excitedly as Rose looked on in shock.
"Whoa! Nice throw. Shorty's got some moves." Jiro said.
"Ooh, I wouldn't call him that. Even when we were little kids, Ed was sensitive about his height." Yaoyorozu warned, remembering a time she called Ed short, at which point he turned the part of the dirt road she was standing on into a waist-deep mud puddle.
"Still, that is an impressive level of strength for someone his size and age." Aizawa noted.
"Especially someone who's supposed to be missing an arm and a leg! Seriously, what happened?!" Mineta demanded.
"We'll just have to keep watching and find out." Ojiro said.
"What's all this commotion?!" A new voice declared as a large bald man dressed in Clerical robes entered the room from a dark corridor. "Ah, the Fullmetal Alchemist! Welcome to the home of our sacred order." The clergyman greeted.
"Father Cornello!" Rose called out to him happily.
"I must apologize for my disciples' behavior. It would seem they've been misguided." Cornello explained as he stood above them on the top of a set of stairs.
"Sure they are. Look at the guy's smug grin! That's not a face you trust!" Bakugo said.
"Indeed. That is most certainly a false grin. I sense a dark undertone hidden behind that smile." Tokoyami said suspiciously.
"Translation: This dude's shady as fuck!" Dark Shadow declared.
"I think we could've guessed that one." Sato said.
"Okay, let's say I believe you weren't the one guiding them. What next?" Ed asked.
"Have you come to learn the ways of Leto?" Cornello asked.
"Well, there's a few things I'm curious about. Like how you've been using second-rate alchemy to deceive your followers!" Ed explained, causing Rose to look at him questioningly.
The priest continued to deny this, however. "My dear boy, I don't know what you mean. What you're doubting eyes see as alchemy is miracles of the Sun God, Leto." Cornello explained, putting his hands together and creating a small stone statue of this god, "Leto" in his hand with red lightning instead of the normal blue. "Look again. Could mere alchemy create something from nothing in this way?" He questioned, much to Rose's amazement.
"Whoa. He really does make stuff out of thin air! And such intricate details on his creations! Truly amazing!" Aoyama said, starry-eyed.
"But is it him doing this? Or is it the item Sandra mentioned?" All Might questioned.
"It looks a lot like alchemy, but the lightning is red instead of blue. Does that mean it's more powerful or something?" Shoji questioned.
"Yeah, that's what I didn't get at first." Ed admitted, drawing Rose's attention. "How can you perform transmutations that ignore the law of equivalent exchange?" He questioned, scratching his head.
"As I said, because it isn't alchemy!" Cornello snapped, losing his patience.
Ed wasn't done, however. "But then I started thinking about it. If you somehow managed to acquire a certain object to amplify your alchemy, one that's said to make the impossible possible... That would explain everything." He explained.
"What?" Cornello asked in shock.
"I'm talking about the Philosopher's Stone." Ed told him, looking to the red stone in the priest's ring. "Your ring. That's it, isn't it? I've been looking for that." He explained, walking forward.
"The Philosopher's Stone? I don't know why, but I don't like the sound of that." Koda said.
"So, it amplifies alchemy, but shouldn't it still have to obey the rules of alchemy? Just being really good at something doesn't mean you can ignore all the rules set in place. Like, Todoroki's really good with fire, but he still has a limit on how hot he can get." Midoriya said.
"Well, that's the dark truth of Philosopher's stones. And yes, I say plural because there's more than one and they can be created by a person with the right resources. They can do otherwise impossible transmutations that ignore the law of equivalent exchange. The boys didn't know this at the time, but the reason for this is because one of the main ingredients of the stone is the sacrifice of countless human lives. The stone is basically a condensed mass of human souls. Each time it's used, it is using up a person's soul as the price for the exchange." The hostess explained, much to everyone's horror.
"That's horrible. What kind of monster would create such a thing?" Uraraka asked.
"A monster is exactly right. The man behind it is a literal monster, a homunculus made of shadows who sought to absorb God- that being Truth- in order to become a perfect being." Sandra explained.
"Surely, if the boys knew, they would never even consider using it." Yaoyorozu said.
"That is correct. They eventually learned and swore to find a different way to regain their bodies, refusing to use something born of someone else's suffering." Sandra assured them.
"Well, at the very least, the boys have a good heart." Midnight said.
"The ring is just a ring. I am God's humble servant. It is from He alone that I derive my power." The priest insisted.
"Still trying to sell that line, huh? If that's the way you wanna play, then I guess I'll have to come up there and beat some truth out of you!" Ed declared as he continued towards the clergyman.
"My, you really are quite the incorrigible heathen, aren't you?" Cornello asked with a frown, looking to the girl. "Rose, dear..." He called to her.
"Yes, Father?" She asked, looking up at him.
"That gun there beside you, pick it up." He instructed.
"Uh... Okay..." She said uncertainly, but complied with his request, picking up the weapon.
"Now, child, I want you to shoot the Fullmetal Alchemist." He declared, causing both boys to look at her warily.
"What the hell kind of priest tells someone to shoot someone!?" Mineta shrieked.
"A fake one. Like, this is totally a cult, right? No way this guy's legit." Hagakure said.
"I've certainly never heard of a Sun God called Leto before." Present Mic agreed.
Rose was shocked at the order she had just been give by a man of God. "No, I... Father, I can't do that!" She said fearfully.
"I am the Sun God's chosen emissary. My word is the word of Leto himself!" He told her, his expression darkening as his eyes opened for the first time. "Shoot him, Rose [1]. It's God's will." He ordered.
Rose raised the gun to her chest level, but didn't aim it, trembling fearfully. "Why hesitate? When you lost your fiancé to that tragic accident last year, who was it that saved you from the very depths of despair? Have you forgotten?" He demanded.
"It was you, father." She answered shakily.
"That bastard. He's using her grief against her and using the 'generosity' he showed her to control her and make her feel like she has to do whatever he tells him." Bakugo growled angrily.
"So not manly, dude!" Kirishima snapped.
"Good thing Shiozaki from Class 1-B isn't here? She'd be trying to go through the screen to tear him apart with her vines for besmirching priests or something." Jiro said.
"Now that you say that, I kind of wish she WAS here." Asui said.
"That's right. It was I who took your hand and led you into God's light! And do you recall what it was that I promised you then?" He questioned once more.
"You said if I had faith, you'd bring him back to life!" She cried out, taking aim at... Alphonse.
"And now he's clearly blackmailing her with the promise of returning her fiancee to her! This man MUST be stopped!" Iida snapped.
"But is it even possible to bring someone back to life? Surely there are still limitations." Todoroki said.
"It CAN work, but it requires a solid body to be present, otherwise sacrifices will be made to substitute." The Empress informed them.
But then they saw who Rose took aim at and slumped a bit. "Uh, wrong one, lady." Sero said in a deadpanned tone.
"But like we said before, at least if he shoots Young Alphonse, he wouldn't be harmed unlike Youn Edward." All Might said
The living suit of armor panicked at the gun being aimed at him. "No, wait! It's not me! Honest!" He tried to tell her.
She was shocked at this, slowly looking over at Ed. "Dammit, I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist! It's not him! It's me!" The elder brother snapped while throwing a childish tantrum, to which Rose sweatdropped.
"Edward..." Yaoyorozu groaned, holding her forehead.
"Not only is he throwing a tantrum, but actively making himself the target of someone with a gun. How professional." Aizawa sighed.
"Seriously, even I wouldn't pull something like that." Kaminari said.
(Press X for doubt.) All the other students thought.
"But, if they know the name of the Fullmetal Alchemist, shouldn't they be aware that Ed is the one they want?" Ashido asked.
"You guys didn't know who Aizawa was when you first met him" The celestial pointed out. "Just because someone is well-known or even famous doesn't mean everyone instantly knows what they look like." She told them.
Even Cornello was shocked at this, his eyes even opening again as he recoiled. "It's the short one?! You're kidding!?" He cried out.
Rose then adjusted her aim to the unarmored brother. "I'm sorry, but... I have to do this. I don't have any other choice." She apologized.
"He's been lying to you, Rose." Edward told her.
"You're lying! I've seen his miracles! Father Cornello will bring him back to life! I have faith!" She insisted.
"Faith that he's manipulated and misguided! Don't listen to him!" Shoji yelled.
"Do what YOU think is right! Don't just blindly listen to him!" Ojiro shouted as well.
"Fine, then shoot." Edward challenged her.
Rose hesitated once again at this, pulling the gun back, but then closed her eyes and shot, which resulted in her shooting Alphonse's head off instead. "Al!" Ed cried out, at which point Rose screamed.
"Ed was worried! Why was Ed worried!? You said Al couldn't be hurt in this state!" Yaoyorozu yelled at their hostess.
"I mean, wouldn't you be concerned if your brother got shot, even if you know he'd be fine? Do you always check if someone's fine if they just trip? It's human nature, if you see something happen to someone that MIGHT hurt them, you check just to make sure." Sandra said simply.
"I guess it makes sense when you put it like that." Sato admitted.
"Yeah. It's better to check with someone and make sure their okay rather than leaving any doubts." Koda agreed.
"Good. God Leto is pleased. You have done well, my child. Now pick up the gun and shoot the other, as well." Cornello ordered.
However, Alphonse simply sat up at this. "Haven't you made her do enough already?" He asked, turning to look back at Cornello, even without his head, leaving the priest shocked.
Rose was equally shocked at this. "But, your head... I thought you were..!" She started.
"Don't worry about it. He's pretty solid." Ed explained, carrying Al's head back to his younger brother, knocking on the armored body.
"Yeah, see? No harm done." Al assured her, bending over to show the armored suit was empty.
A few members of the audience couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, when you put it like that, it's kind of funny." Kirishima admitted.
"If I was in Al's body, I'd TOTALLY do that for a prank all the time!" Hagakure laughed.
"And it could be a good way to mess with the enemy's head and throw them off." Midoriya said.
"Now if only his armor was a bit flashier? Maybe a nice polishing could have him sparkling as brightly as myself." Aoyama said dramatically.
This was the last bit of justification Cornello needed. "An empty suit of armor that walks and speaks?! Do you still doubt it, Rose?! This unholy thing is an abomination! Evil of this kind must be purged!" The priest declared, backing up to a giant lever on the wall and pulling it down. This opened a large cage that unleashed what appeared to be a lion with glowing red eyes. "And I believe my Chimera should be up to the task!" He declared as the brother's looked at the creature before them, now revealed to be the upper half of a lion, with its lower half being the lower body and legs of a chicken and the tail of some form of lizard.
"What the fuck is that!?" Bakugo shouted.
"It's a Chimera. And before anyone asks, no. Not like the one from Greek mythology. Chimera's are created with Bio-Alchemy where you "marry" two or more creatures together into one. I told you back when we were watching Revy's video about Shou Tucker, who fused his daughter with his dog. Same process." The celestial explained, leaving them horrified. "It's prohibited to use humans in the experiments, but Tucker and people working for the same monster who made Philosopher's Stones did it. Thankfully, animals, having less sentience and understanding of what happened to them, handle the process better than humans usually do." She added.
"It's still wrong. Why would you do that to innocent animals?" Koda asked horrified.
"Truly, the cruelty humans are capable of is the greatest curse of our imagination." Tokoyami said darkly.
"Do you ALWAYS have to be a downer?" Dark Shadow asked.
The brothers didn't seem particularly fazed, however. "So this is the sort of thing you do with the Philosopher's Stone. That's just twisted." Ed said distastefully as Rose backed away. "Anyway, it looks like I'll need a weapon." The boy declared, clapping his hands together and slamming them to the ground, lightning sparking from his hands like when the boys did alchemy before. Suddenly, the ground where his hands touched began to form a crater as a polearm began to rise from the center of the crater until a fully formed and even stylized spear rose from the ground, the boy brandishing it for combat.
"Whoa! He made a spear from the stone floor!" Midoriya said, amazed.
"And he did it without the circles, just like you said. But I thought that's what makes the whole thing work." Jiro said.
"Well, thanks to the whole 'all the knowledge in the world' thing, Ed gained a higher understanding of alchemy than most people, so he's able to bypass the need for a circle and use himself as the matrix for performing alchemy." Their hostess explained.
"Awesome!" Kaminari said.
"But it's not over yet. He still has to be GOOD with that spear, or else he'll get shredded by that lion." Todoroki pointed out.
"Todoroki!" The Dekusquad all scolded the boy, gesturing towards Yaoyorozu with their heads, the deputy class rep on the verge of a panic attack from his words.
Cornello backed away in shock at this. "No transmutation circle?! So the State Alchemist title isn't just for show! You truly are gifted! However..." He exclaimed. The chimera then roared and rushed forward, swiping at Edward with its claws as he swung his spear, the head breaking off the spear as the claw tore through the right leg of his pants. "Your little spear is no match for chimera claws that tear through iron!" He declared, much to the shock of Rose, but Al hardly seemed fazed.
"Edward!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed.
"Those claws probably tore through his calf!" Sato yelled worriedly.
"But, wait. Why didn't Al say anything? Based on his reaction, there's nothing to worry about." Present Mic pointed out.
And Ed actually chuckled at this. "You shredded my pants!" He exclaimed in amusement as the chimera's claws broke off, much to the creature's shock.
Ed then kicked the beast away, holding himself in a martial arts pose for kicking. "But I guess those claws don't do so good against steel!" He declared as a metal leg could be seen through the shredded pants.
"Automail! Of course! Why didn't I realize it before!" Yaoyorozu said, practically kicking herself from how obvious it was.
"You mean those top tier prosthetics that old lady makes?" Asui asked.
"That would make sense. We likely forgot about it between the severity of the boys' overall situation AND the current situation." Midnight agreed.
"Bite him, you stupid beast!" Cornello ordered and the chimera rushed forward, chomping down on Edward's right arm.
Ed actually struggled a bit at this, but only due to holding back the creature that had to be at least as heavy as a lion. "You like that, kitty? Go on, get a good taste!" He declared again, before throwing a kick so high the bottom of his foot pointed towards the ceiling, knocking the beast away, sending it to the floor, unconscious.
"And the arm, too!" Hagakure said.
"That means that his leg and his arms might as well be steel bats! He's like half Tetsutetsu!" Kirishima declared.
"Also... what if he's able to change them with his alchemy? Or at least his arm, changing his leg would probably make it hard to run." Iida theorized.
Ed's coat was torn from the attack and revealed a metal arm as well. Cornello was finally putting the pieces together. "Your arm! A brother trapped in armor! I see... It's all becoming clear now." He said with an evil grin. "You did it, didn't you? The one thing even the most novice alchemist knows is strictly forbidden!" He declared as Ed took off his red coat, revealing a black t-shirt that was torn from the left side of the neck to the right side of the hip, exposing the right half of Ed's torso to show off the metal prosthetic arm that was grafted to his body and took up the entirety of his shoulder as Rose looked on in horror.
"Yikes. We didn't see how much of his arm he lost, but we know he only lost around the knee for his leg. I wonder why the arm took the whole thing?" Asui asked.
"That's actually likely from the automail. The two major drawbacks of automail are the entirety of the limb being replaced may have to be removed up to where it connects to the body. That and, as I said, it connects directly to the nervous system, so the process of connecting the nerves to the permanent metal housing is incredibly painful. And very expensive, but I'm guessing Winry and Granny gave Ed a discount." Yaoyorozu explained.
Many people in the group were disturbed by this. "Suddenly, that seems WAY less cool." Mineta said, frightened by the painful prospect.
"Why don't you come down here and try me? I'll show you real quick who the novice is!" The Fullmetal alchemist challenged while taking up a fighting stance.
The young woman continued to look on in horror at all of the horrific things she was witnessing that were beyond any type of reasoning she was capable of. "Rose... This is the price of their sin! These fools attempted human transmutation- The greatest taboo for ANY alchemist! In their arrogance, they tried to bring someone dead back to life." Cornello told the girl, hoping to vilify the boys and regain any belief she may have lost in him.
"Yeah, maybe not the best thing to tell someone who wants YOU to bring someone back to life for them." Kaminari said.
"Seriously. Like, he is sounding like the world's biggest hypocrite right now." Jiro agreed.
"You two are assuming he actually plans to keep his word and bring her fiancée back to life, instead of just using her and baiting her along to do what she says, only to never deliver on his end." Aizawa told them.
"Man, that's messed up." Sero said.
Rose was shocked at this as she remembered a story Ed had told her earlier. "He thought he could touch the sun, but when he got too close, his wings melted and he came crashing back down to Earth." The boy's words rang in her mind.
"Ah, yes. The story of Icarus. A time-honored cautionary tale against allowing one's on hubris to overtake them." All Might said.
"And now that he's suffered through a version of it himself, Edward is clearly well-experienced in the tale. It's certainly difficult to question him after seeing what he went through." Iida agreed.
Ed then looked at the prosthetic he now called his right arm. "This is what happens when you try to play "God", or whatever you want to call it... Take a good look, Rose. Is this what you want?" He asked, only furthering her horror.
"So, this is the great Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric- Not even half a man! Hell, not even half a boy!" Cornello taunted from up high.
"Well, fuck you, too!" The entire Bakusquad all cursed out the priest.
"They've been spending too much time with Bakugo." Aizawa groaned.
"And what are you!? You're just a phony who can't do anything without a Philosopher's Stone!" Ed shot back at the priest.
"Father, we just want you to hand over the stone before you get hurt." Al explained with an outstretched hand, hoping to take the peaceful option.
"That's Al. Always looking for the peaceful solution, not wanting anyone to be hurt." Yaoyorozu said fondly.
"That's nice. It's always best when we can solve things peacefully." Koda said happily.
I just wished it worked on villains more often." Present Mic said.
"Don't be absurd! Why?! So you can use it for yourself!?" Cornello questioned, holding his canes in two hands like a shotgun. "Please, if you two are really so eager to play God, then perhaps I should send you to meet him, instead!" He declared, using the Philosopher's Stone to change his simple cane... Into a MINIGUN!
"Are you kidding me!?" Sero cried out
"That's insane! I would've thought of maybe a sword or something! Who would think to turn a cane into a freaking minigun?!" Uraraka cried out.
"Oh, great, so not only does he have a god complex, but he's also a psychopath!" Midnight said.
"Isn't one All For One enough?" Midoriya groaned.
He unleashed a wall of gunfire at the group, kicking up a lot of dust, but the telltale flash of blue lightning meant Edward used alchemy to save them somehow. Cornello stopped firing, allowing the dust to settle and revealed Ed created a stone wall to stop the bullets from reaching them. "Nah... Me and god, we don't get along too well. Even if I went... he'd probably just send me right back here." The boy explained.
"Whew. Quick thinking on Ed's part." Sato said.
"Now have Al rush the priest and take his wrinkly ass down!" Bakugo shouted.
"It's too risky with Rose still in the danger zone. It's impossible to know what the priest might try next? He may go for a rocket launcher or something." Todoroki said.
"Solid plan, young listener! It's best to retreat for now and get a better handle on the situation. Or, at the very least, get the civilian out of danger." Present Mic praised.
Cornello growled at this. Sensing the violence would only escalate, Al picked up Rose and carried her away, drawing Cornello's attention and his fire, forcing Alphonse to shield her from injury with his own metal body, as the priest clearly wasn't concerned with hitting her.
"He's not even concerned about hitting his own follower. He really is scum." Kirishima said angrily.
"Please tell me Ed beats him up later." Asui said.
"He does indeed." Their hostess confirmed, satiating their anger.
"This way!" Edward called, clapping his hands together.
Outside, some guards were waiting in case they had to assist Cornello as citizens looked on in confusion. Suddenly, a set of giant stone double doors appeared on the wall and Ed thrust them open, knocking down a poor civilian, before the brothers jauntily skipped away.
The audience- minus Aizawa, of course- couldn't help but laugh at how the boys skipped away.
Seconds later, Cornello ran out after them with his minigun in hand, looking to the shocked onlookers. "Well, don't just stand there! After them! These heathens seek to harm the order! They must be stopped!" He shouted at them.
The boys continued to run with Rose still in tow, when they found the hallway in front of them blocked by a number of guards, led by a pair in black outfits, wielding a pistol and a staff respectively, but all of them looked more than confident they could stop the boys. "That's far enough." The staff-wielder told them.
"What're you gonna do, boy? You're unarmed and outnumbered." The man with the pistol asked arrogantly.
"Look, just come quietly. We don't wanna have to rough you up." A man to the left of the pistol-wielder declared. But Ed simply laughed at this and clapped his hands together, transforming his automail arm into menacing, serrated scythe, causing them to scream, before they were battered and sent flying.
"Whoa! Ed can get pretty crazy when he wants to." Jiro said, surprised at the form he turned his arm into.
"It was at this moment, they knew... They fucked up." Hagakure declared.
"Not gonna lie, I'd totally be screaming like that, too." Mineta admitted.
But even more guards awaited around the corner, led by another man in black with a staff. "Don't go easy on them just 'cause he's a kid, ya got that?" The staff-wielder questioned. But before they could even try to jump into action, Alphonse simply bowled through all of them, still holding a screaming Rose as the boys continued to flee the scene with a healthy skip.
"Welp. So much for that." Asui said simply.
"And so, the boys escaped and later set up a clever trick." Sandra explained.
"What kind of trick?" Ochako asked.
"Well, if it wasn't completely obvious by now, Cornello's whole "Sun God" order is nothing but a cult. He's using the Philosopher's Stone to do cheap tricks, call them miracles and gain followers who are blind sheep that don't question anything. He planned to do this until he amassed an army big enough to take down Amestris. That's the country Ed and Al live in and work for." The celestial explained.
"Of course. There's always villains who will prey on someone else's beliefs." All Might said angrily.
"But Ed snuck into his office with a hidden microphone and got him to spill exactly what I just told you guys while Al blasted it out to the whole town with a giant megaphone." The hostess giggled.
"Ha! What a dumbass! He didn't even realize he was getting played? Why would anyone ever WANT to hear some villain extra's monologue?" Bakugo laughed.
"Yep. So now that he's been exposed to the whole town, you could imagine he's not too happy about that." The empress told them.
"How could you!?" Cornello demanded furiously. "You'll pay dearly for this!" He declared, turning his cane into a minigun once again. But Ed was ready for it this time.
"Sorry, not today!" The Fullmetal Alchemist declared, rushing forward while low to the ground, transmuting a blade from his prosthetic arm and slicing the weapon's barrel in half. "Just face it. You're outclassed here." Ed told him.
"Nice move!" Midoriya cheered.
"Now knock it out of his hand before he can change it into anything else." Aizawa said.
"Or bring him down right here! We know he's strong enough to throw TWO guys over his shoulder. This shouldn't be that much harder." Shoji said.
Cornello growled at this, refusing to give up. "I am without rival!" He declared, holding the remains of the weapon like a bazooka and charging up energy. Ed jumped back at this and looked up to see he was now faced with a giant laser gun.
"Why did you back off?! You had him!" Bakugo demanded.
"With alchemy and that Philosopher's Stone, it's impossible to tell what he was going to do. Rushing in could've been a fatal move." All Might explained.
But then they saw how he was charging a giant laser. "Looks like it could get fatal anyway!" Sato said worriedly.
"EDWARD!" Yaoyorozu screamed for the umpteenth time. Secretly, Sandra was preparing the girl some ginger ale, knowing all the shouting was bound to ruin her throat.
But as the weapon gained a full charge, an explosion suddenly occurred and the weapon was now horrifically fused to Cornello's arm as he gasped in pain. "It's a rebound!" Ed exclaimed in shock.
Many were shocked at this, wincing at the sight of the man's now mangled arm. "Ouch. That's gotta hurt." Asui said.
"But I thought a Philosopher's Stone could do almost anything?" Koda questioned.
"But remember, a Philosopher's stone is powered by human souls. And there is a finite amount in there and it gets weaker with every use. The beam Cornello was attempting to use exceeded the limit of the stone's remaining power, resulting in a rebound. "Sandra explained.
Cornello growled in anger while also groaning in pain, holding his mangled arm. "No! I won't be disgraced like this!" He refused, glaring up at the boy. "Now, boy... Behold... The chosen emissary of the Sun God, Leto!" The priest declared, using the stone to transmute HIMSELF to grow to massive sizes as Edward watched on in horror at the foe growing multiple times his previous size... And dwarfing Ed's already tiny frame. ;P
"Oh, no! He's pulling a Mt. Lady!" Mineta exclaimed in fear.
"But I thought you just said the stone was out of power." Aizawa said, glaring at the host.
"I said that giant laser beam he was trying to fire exceeded its remaining energy, which cancelled it out and caused a rebound. The stone still has some power, just not enough for a kamehameha." She told them.
"Kamehameha?" They all questioned at once.
"Either way, now the guy's way bigger. And probably way stronger." Kirishima said worriedly.
"Man. And I thought Ed looked small before." Kaminari said, equally concerned.
"He may be stronger now, but he's also made himself a bigger target." All Might told them.
Suddenly, the church below Cornello's office was shown, as the two smashed through a wall, Cornello now a hulking monstrosity.
Edward did a back handspring and flipped into a crouched position as Cornello charged at him, throwing a punch, which the boy was quick to dodge, the floor where he once stood getting destroyed in the process. However, he then noticed Cornello's normal arm come at him from the side and slam into him.
Edward now struggled to hold back the massive fist pushing into him. "My word is the divine word of God himself! My fist is the almighty fist of judgment!" Cornello declared as he tried to smash the boy into the ground.
"You already admitted your God is fake! Shut up with that crap, already!" Bakugo snapped.
"He might actually be arrogant enough to think that if there is ANY god out there, he is their chosen one. He's definitely crazy enough to think that." Todoroki said.
"I'm honestly amazed Ed is still holding him back. He must be a lot stronger than we thought. Clearly alchemy isn't his only talent." Midnight said.
"Oh, yeah? The fist of god, huh?" Edward asked, shoving the colossal fist away from him and turning to the statue of Leto beside the mad priest. "Well, if that's what you want, you can have it!" The boy declared as he ran at the statue, clapping and placing his hand upon the giant stone sculpture, taking stone from the surrounding wall to elongate the arm and shoot the fist directly at Cornello, the mighty clenched hand dwarfing even him as it slammed into him and threw him down the aisle, before finally slamming into the ground.
"Wow, that was really smart!" Midoriya said, amazed at Ed's quick thinking.
"And totally epic! Slam! Giant fist right to his big ugly face!" Uraraka cheered, doing a punching motion similar to the one she did on the first day when she praised Midoriya for bringing down the Zero Pointer.
"Not to mention both ironic and poetic justice." Iida added.
Cornello groaned, now back in his normal size, trying to sit up. However, Ed grabbed his head and slammed his own forehead into Cornello's with a mighty headbutt, causing the priest to cry out in pain and sending a shiver through his whole body as tears shot from his eyes. "Shut up! Just give me the Philosopher's Stone!" He demanded.
However, the once vibrantly glowing stone then went dull and fell out of the priest's ring, falling to the floor and shattering, before being scattered like dust in the wind. "What the hell? The stone..." Ed asked, left in complete disbelief at what he just witnessed, standing back up and looking at the fallen priest. "It's supposed to be perfect material. How did it just break like that?" He asked.
"That's probably for the best. If the boys knew what went into the stone, they'd never forgive themselves for using it." Yaoyorozu said.
"But at least Cornello or any other bad person can't use it for evil anymore." Jiro pointed out.
"And now, with his stone gone and his believers hearing the truth, he truly has no power left." Tokoyami added.
"I don't know! I don't know anything about it! Spare me! Please! I-I was wrong! Please! I'm begging you!" Cornello answered while pleading for his life.
"It's a damn fake." Ed cursed as he stood up.
"Please don't. I'm helpless without the stone. Spare me, please!" The priest wept.
"We went through all this... Risked our lives for this one possible chance..." Ed said, struggling to process the whole situation, before giving into despair. "And it's a fake" He said in depression, slumping in defeat as it appeared as though his soul flew out of his mouth.
"Yikes. Even if it is better that he didn't use the stone, you can't help but feel bad for him." Present Mic said.
"This is important for you to learn, though, students. Not every situation will have a satisfying ending. You may have to prepare yourselves for disappointment at times. And try not to allow yourselves to get your hopes up before the end is in sight." All Might told them.
"Jeez, after all that, I kind of just want to give the poor kid a hug." Hagakure said.
"He's the same age as us..." Yaoyorozu told her invisible friend.
"So, uh... What about me?" Cornello asked, hoping Ed was too done with the whole situation to bring him any further harm.
This seemed to snap the boy back to reality, causing him to look at the priest in rage. "I don't care what you do! Just get out of here!" He roared at the fake holy man, who screamed in fear and desperately scrambled away on all fours.
"What, that's it? He's just letting him off like nothing?" Sato asked.
"Yeah, Ed's never been big on his military duties. He's only just ever cared about the stone. Like, if he has direct orders, he follows them, but otherwise, he just does what he wants." Sandra explained.
"Some soldier." Ojiro said.
"Well, sometimes soldiers need to rely on their own discretion. And considering one of his arms is all mangled, I'd say he's suffered." Aoyama said, giving a surprisingly smart answer for him.
"Plus, I can't imagine his former followers are too pleased with him." Tokoyami added.
"Man, alchemy is so crazy and so awesome!" Midoriya cheered.
"We should see if we can do it!" Mina declared.
"And risk that rebound shit? Pass." Bakugo said.
"I have to agree on that." Todoroki agreed.
"Eh. Just don't overstep your bounds and make sure you have the right materials and you're fine." Sandra assured them.
"So, then... How did Ed and Al get their bodies back?" Uraraka asked.
"Well..." The celestial started.
One Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Plot Summary later...
"And so, Ed used his offered up his own Gate of Truth as the toll to get Alphonse back, but can now never perform alchemy again." Their hostess finished.
"Going through such heartwrenching lengths to save their country... And giving up everything to save each other. These brothers truly are heroes." All Might said.
"Yeah. In a few more years, if Ed still had his alchemy, they could've been a hell of a hero team." Midnight agreed.
"Yes. They really are incredible..." Yaoyorozu said, before looking at their hostess.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the celestial held a hand up. "Bring them here?" She asked, to which Yaoyorozu nodded.
And, with a flash of white light and blue electricity very similar to alchemy, the two boys were suddenly brought before the group. "Hey, what the heck!?" Ed cried out as the two collapsed to the floor.
"Brother?! What's happening!?" Al cried out.
"I don't know! I sure hope it's not that damn Truth again! We weren't even doing alchemy!" Ed exclaimed as the two stood up, attempting to regain their bearings.
"Ed... Al..." Yaoyorozu said softly, the two boys looking up to see their cousin.
"Momo..." They said together, the three family members slowly approaching each other, before embracing each other.
"It's been so long since we saw you last." Ed said softly.
"I thought we'd never actually see you again." Al agreed emotionally, struggling not to shed any tears.
"I know..." Yaoyorozu said, embracing them closely... before suddenly going off on the boys, getting Edward in a headlock, leaping up and getting Alphonse in a chokehold with her legs. "I thought you two were dead, you jerks! Why didn't you ever send any letters!? You couldn't even let us know aunt Trisha died!?" She snapped at them as the rest of the group looked on in shock and horror at their normally formal, calm and peaceful deputy class rep now acting like Bakugo.
"How'd you know about that!?" Ed cried out.
"The celestial empress of the universe showed up and told us what happened! I had to hear it from A GOD before I heard it from MY OWN COUSINS!" She snapped, delivering several soft- but still painful- punches to Edward's head while squeezing Alphonse's neck tighter with her legs.
"There's more gods than Truth!?" Al asked.
"Don't change the subject! Why didn't you tell us!? Or ask us for help!?" She demanded.
"I'm sorry, okay?! We were too ashamed!" Al cried out.
"It was our burden to bear! Not yours!" Ed shouted.
"We're family! Family helps each other! Your burden is all our burdens! Also, how did you screw up on the ingredients for a human that bad! You were off on some ingredients by as much as 300 percent!" She told them.
"Hey! Blame our old man! It was his research!" Ed complained.
"It doesn't even matter! Human transmutation doesn't work in the first place! You can't equal the value of a human soul!" Al added.
Finally, the rest of the class recovered from their shock and moved to help. "Alright, Momo. That's enough now." Midnight said, prying Creati's arms off Ed's neck.
"Yeah, easy, killer. I'm pretty sure even alchemists need oxygen." Jiro agreed, pulling apart Yaoyorozu's legs and allowing Al to escape.
After recovering once again and finally taking a breath, the boys looked up at their cousin. "We saw you in the Sports Festival on TV. You did great, Momo. Your Quirk has grown really strong." Al said. [2]
"I'll say. Most alchemists would get greener than Envy if they saw what you can do." Ed agreed.
"But, I didn't even get that far in the tournament." Yaoyorozu said, some of that self doubt rising back up.
"Because your opponent had a crazy overpowered shadow monster and you got pushed out of bounds, which is a stupid rule for a fight, anyway." Ed defended her, before looking at Tokoyami. "No offense about the shadow monster thing." He said quickly.
"None taken." Tokoyami assured them.
"Yeah. I'm a beast!" Dark Shadow declared, flexing.
"You still did really good to even make it to the tournament part. And you're probably even better now than you were back then." Al added.
Todoroki put a hand on her shoulder. "She really is." He confirmed.
"So, how are Granny and Winry?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Oh, they're great." Ed assured them.
"Ed and Winry are getting married!" Al quickly added.
"Al!" Ed complained.
"But, aren't you too young for that? I thought you were only 16." Present Mic said.
"Things are different in Amestris." Ed assured them.
"Well, Winry is lucky, then." Yaoyorozu said with a smile, but that quickly turned to a stern look. "But I expect an invitation to the wedding." She warned him.
"Hey! You got it, you got it!" Ed said fearfully.
"But then you have to send us invitations to when you graduate! Or open your own hero agency!" Al declared.
"It's a deal." Yaoyorozu said happily.
"Alright, then, boys. Time to send you back." The celestial declared, sending them back.
"It really was great to see them again." Creati said happily.
"Yeah. I thought you strangling them might put a damper on things, but it was still nice." Jiro said.
"Okay, well after the MASSIVE trauma you all just experienced, I think it's time for a small break to relieve some of the tension and return some DESPERATELY needed levity to this viewing. So this next bit is just a little bonus for some fun giggles. And I think this will be PARTICULARLY therapeutic for you, All Might." Sandra declared as she set up the next viewing.
[1] I just realized, watching FMA on Hulu to transcribe this, their subtitles are a bit messed up. It didn't capitalize Rose's name. Little fun fact for you all.
[2] I know we've never seen TV's in FMAB, only radios, but in this crazy-ass amalgamation world I've created, we're taking some liberties and making some places have slightly more technology than they should have. Besides, they have trains in Amestris and people leave the country regularly, so they probably have imports and exports, so they probably got TV's from somewhere at some point.
