Chapter 38: The Final Battle
On the fourth day after the war began, Su Xiao arrived at a small town near Central City, which was the base camp of Mustang.
The train slowly came to a halt. As Su Xiao stepped off, he saw that Mustang had come to the station to greet him.
Mustang was no longer wearing his colonel's uniform; he had removed his rank insignia.
"How's the situation?"
Su Xiao asked directly.
"Not good. We've been fighting Central City for two days, but progress is minimal."
"Oh?"
Su Xiao was somewhat puzzled. Logically, with the strength of the Northern Army and Mustang's forces, they should have been overwhelming the Central Army.
"Is it those ragtag troops holding us back?"
"No, it's the undead legion."
Hearing "undead legion," Su Xiao nodded.
The undead legion was created by the Homunculus in the flask, using Philosopher's Stones to manufacture bodies and binding the souls of innocent people to those artificially created vessels.
This allowed those bodies to fight without dying even when injured, since their core was merely a blood seal.
The only ways to destroy the undead army were to completely destroy their bodies or break the blood seals.
But the blood seals' locations were random—some on the head, some on the chest or abdomen, some on the soles of the feet—completely unpredictable.
When ordinary soldiers saw these monsters that couldn't be killed by bullets, their morale plummeted. Some of the ragtag troops even fled in panic.
"It's not all bad news," Mustang said.
"What?"
"Over 30% of the Central Army soldiers have surrendered, and many more have fled with their families. The Central Army's strength is now less than 20%, and they have no fighting spirit."
Before the undead legion entered the fray, the Allied Army had engaged the Central Army.
The Central Army suffered a crushing defeat. These Central Army troops stationed in Central City were even more incompetent than the ones at Kano Town.
Inside the small town not far from Central City, Su Xiao could clearly hear the distant sounds of cannon fire and gunshots.
This town was five kilometers from Central City, and the two sides had formed a battle line along this distance.
From a high vantage point in the town, Su Xiao observed the battle line where his own forces were fighting the undead army.
The undead army's combat style was unique. They didn't use firearms, but relying on their incredible survivability, they would charge at his forces carrying bombs, then detonate them. Casualties were heavy on both sides.
According to Mustang's speculation, the undead legion was being controlled by someone, and that someone could only be the Homunculus in the flask.
The exact number of the undead legion was unknown, but from the current situation, this was bound to be a protracted war.
Central City's defeat was already certain. The Allied Army had completely surrounded it.
Seeing the current situation, Su Xiao's face was full of smiles.
This was exactly the outcome he wanted. He didn't care at all whether the Central Army was defeated; surrounding Central City was the best possible result.
Now that Central City was completely encircled, only one path remained—the decisive battle was about to begin.
The person Su Xiao was waiting for didn't keep him waiting long—only five hours.
...
Inside a bathhouse, Su Xiao soaked in a pool of warm water, his back to the door.
On his back, numerous scars could be seen—knife wounds, bullet wounds, all common sights.
Steam filled the bathhouse. Near Su Xiao was another man.
"Not a bad plan. If that's the case, there's a chance of victory."
The speaker was a man in his forties or fifties, with long golden hair tied into a ponytail and wearing glasses.
Von Hohenheim, the father of the protagonist Edward.
Von Hohenheim had approached Su Xiao on his own initiative. Perhaps Su Xiao's actions had caught his attention.
"So you agree?"
"Yes. The Homunculus in the flask was born from my blood. I have a responsibility to destroy him."
"Even if it means death?"
"That doesn't matter. I should have died long ago anyway. Having left behind a pair of children is more than enough."
Von Hohenheim chuckled lightly. His bare upper body showed clearly defined muscles.
"How many Philosopher's Stones do you still have inside you?"
Su Xiao looked at Von Hohenheim.
"Very few. About a few dozen people's worth."
"Is that so? It seems you've almost finished your preparations."
"Yes."
Von Hohenheim had originally contained hundreds of thousands of people's worth of Philosopher's Stones. Now only a few dozen remained.
"When does the decisive battle begin?"
Von Hohenheim let out a long breath.
"Now."
Bang!
The bathhouse door was kicked open, and Edward Elric rushed in.
As soon as he burst in, Edward stopped in his tracks.
"Hohenheim, what are you doing here?"
Hohenheim didn't speak, seemingly unwilling to explain anything to Edward.
After glancing at Hohenheim, Edward finally looked at Su Xiao.
"What the hell are you doing? You started a war involving hundreds of thousands of people! Do you know how many have already died?!"
Edward was furious. He had personally witnessed the battlefield—it was hell, a slaughterhouse. The soldiers there were no longer human but killing machines.
"How many died? If I remember correctly, about a hundred thousand or so."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Edward was beside himself with rage.
"A hundred thousand... Are human lives really so worthless in your eyes? Those were living, breathing people!"
"So what?"
Su Xiao didn't even turn around. Since he had made the decision, he had to bear the consequences. Making excuses was a sign of weakness.
Yes, he had started the war, and he would acknowledge the hundred thousand deaths.
Su Xiao stood up from the warm water. Everyone had arrived. It was time for the final battle.
"Is it starting?"
Hohenheim already knew what was about to happen, and his voice carried a hint of excitement.
"Yes. My people are ready. What about yours?"
"Ready to go at any time."
"Then let's begin."
Water dripped from Su Xiao's hair. After putting on his clothes, he walked out of the bathhouse.
"Edward, though this isn't something a father should say, I'll say it today anyway..."
...
Three hours later, Su Xiao gathered with Mustang, Olivier, and others in a meeting room.
There were others in the room as well.
The protagonist's teacher, Izumi Curtis.
The protagonist's brother, Alphonse Elric.
The protagonist's father, Von Hohenheim.
Olivier's brother, Alex Louis Armstrong.
Mustang's subordinate, Riza Hawkeye.
Mustang's subordinate, Jean Havoc.
There were about a dozen people in total. These were the main force to deal with the Homunculus in the flask.
The final battle was about to begin. Su Xiao had gathered everyone he could.
These people wouldn't take orders from him, but they shared a common goal—defeating the Homunculus in the flask.
Su Xiao spread a map on the conference table. It was a detailed map of Central City.
"First, we need to find a way to get close to the Presidential Palace, right here."
Su Xiao pointed to a spot on the map. No one present spoke.
"The Homunculus in the flask is beneath the Presidential Palace. But to get there, we have to pass through the First Laboratory underground. The Homunculus's dwelling is below the First Laboratory. Alphonse Elric has been there before. Do you remember the route?"
Everyone looked at Alphonse.
"I remember."
Alphonse was visibly nervous. He knew what was about to happen.
Edward sat silently to the side. Defeating the Homunculus in the flask was something that had to be done.
"Good. After reaching the First Laboratory, we'll split into three groups. We'll reunite before reaching the Homunculus's location."