Although Ed and Al are impressed that they have passed through the Gate and are back alive, Izumi points out that in doing so they have explicitly disobeyed her teachings and formally expelled them as her disciples. Dejected but understanding, the boys make their way to the train station, where Sig sees them off and invites them to come back for a visit anytime. When Edward remarks that visits might be difficult now that they’ve been expelled, Sig chides him for his bluntness, pointing out that now that the teacher-pupil relationship has been abolished, the Elrics can talk to Izumi as peers. Realizing their mistake, the boys rush back to the house, intending to speak openly with Izumi about the Gate, the Truth, and the Philosopher’s Stone. Izumi reluctantly accepts them back into her home, surmising that Al probably saw a lot more of what was inside the Gate than she or Ed, since the “toll” he paid wasn’t a body part, but his entire physical being. But when Al reveals that he has absolutely no memory of what happened between reflecting human transmutation and waking up in his armor, Izumi suggests that the great psychological shock of the Gate must have pushed Alphonse’s memories into suppression. He decides to consult his doctor friend about restoring his memories, while everyone prepares for dinner. Unbeknownst to them, they are all being spied on from the outside by a mysterious cloaked man who seems to know about Edward’s secret past – a man with a reptilian tail who is able to climb walls like a lizard.
In East City, Colonel Roy Mustang discusses his recent reassignment to Central City for a game of chess with his mentor, General Grumman. As a parting gift and to celebrate Roy’s first victory, Grumman gives his protégé chess and allows him to transfer Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, Warrant Officer Vato Falman, and Master Sgt. Kain Fuery to the capital with him. Beyond the city in the Ishvalan slum, Scar trains his injured body back to its former strength and is visited by his old teacher, who gently chastises his student for following a path of blood and hatred. He advises Scar to break the chain of hatred, but before the words can sink in, a pair of bounty hunters arrive to demand a bounty on the Ishvalan killer’s head, having been informed of his whereabouts by Yoki, an American beggar living in the slum. due to the destruction of his military career by the Elric brothers. Realizing that his presence has attracted unwanted attention from his compatriots, Scar quickly dispatches two bounty hunters and leaves the slum despite his mentor’s claims that Scar’s brother would be grieved by the path he had chosen.
Back in Dublith, Alphonse receives a secret message that there are people who know his secret and demand that he meet them nearby – alone. Al complies and meets Dolcetto, Roa, and Martel, who wish to take the boy Elric to see their mysterious boss. Unfortunately for them, Alphonse is unwilling to accompany them any further and begins a brief skirmish. Martel, displaying his inhuman agility, invades Al’s body and silences his movements long enough for the Roa monster to physically subdue him, and as Alphonse struggles, the boss arrives on the scene and explains that the strange foursome are all chimeras that under him they work Al is tied up and taken to the gang’s secret lair, where the boss introduces himself as Greed. Remembering Nina Tucker as a chimera, Alphonse questions Greed’s earlier declaration, stating that chimeras advanced enough to become human are impossible, but Greed counters that the term “impossible” is itself impossible, explaining that Martel, Roa, and Dolcetto were humans alchemically linked with snake, ox, and dog genes, while many other members of their gang were military-linked with a variety of other creatures. Subsequently, Greed explains that he is not human either. He displays the Ouroboros symbol on his left hand and claims to be a homunculus – an artificial person. Alphonse maintains his skepticism, but to prove his existence, Greed orders Roo to decapitate him with a sledgehammer, and right before Al’s eyes, Greed’s head grows back in seconds as if the damage had never been done. Greed gets to work interrogating Alphonse about his existence as a soul bound to an inanimate object, stating that the Elric boy’s state is the closest thing to immortality – his own ultimate goal, as though he is roughly two centuries old and monstrous. durable, not truly immortal. He demands to know the secret of Al’s body and threatens to dissect it for analysis if he doesn’t comply, but Al notes that it was his brother who performed the procedure.
Edward, searching for his missing brother, is instead met by the lizard man Bide, sent by Greed to gather information regarding Alphonse’s soul bond. Unfortunately, Bido is no match for Ed, who beats him up and gets Al’s location from him. Edward angrily bursts into Greed’s fortress and discovers that the man is a Homunculus, and when he sees the Ouroboros tattoo, he questions why Greed doesn’t just deal with his friends Lust and Envy. Greed explains that he is no longer in contact with them and instead proposes a deal – he will tell Edward how to create an artificial human body for his brother in exchange for information about soul binding. Edward furiously rejects Greed’s offer and instead threatens his own, turning the discussion into a fight. After Ed dispatches Dolcetto, Greed orders Roo to take Alphonse for analysis while he takes care of the Fullmetal Alchemist. Edward tries to intervene, but is held back when Greed manifests another ability, covering his hands with a mysteriously impenetrable film of armor. Unable to hurt his new enemy, Edward asks what Greed is made of, to which the Homunculus replies that while he has inhuman regenerative powers and what he calls his “Ultimate Shield”, his body’s composition is similar to that of a human. Greed chastises Edward’s foolishness for losing his temper and picking a fight instead of making the deal and getting the information he wants, but Edward steadfastly refuses to comply, claiming that all he has to do to win is target Hamt’s body parts , which are not covered. armor. However, Greed only laughs as he allows the strange armor to cover his entire body and reveal his true form.
Discovering the Elrics’ disappearance, Izumi and Sig are informed that they were seen entering a local bar called the Devil’s Nest. Meanwhile, Edward finds himself on the losing side of the fight against Greed with his automail arm badly damaged. But when he had time to think about his predicament, he found a loophole in Greed’s strategy. It follows that with a body composition roughly equivalent to that of a human, it is the only substance that