Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

“We’ve investigated this far enough, even if we do nothing, they’ll come knocking on our door, and it won’t be long,” Isaac said with a smile, handing a piece of paper to Hughes.

Hughes took the paper, and his pupils contracted sharply when he saw what was on it.

"This...this is..." For a moment, he seemed to lose the ability to speak.

Isaac threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. Looking at Hughes, he said, “The Rivia Incident of 1558, the Cameron Strife of 1661, the Sopman Affair of Fisk in 1799, the Wesley Affair of 1811, the Border War of 1835, and the War in the South of Fortset in 1911, which I also participated in.”

Hughes grew increasingly alarmed, and his hand holding the paper began to tremble.

"And the recent Rio riots, connecting all the places together, is what this map looks like."

Stab it!

As soon as Isaac finished speaking, Hughes accidentally tore a hole in the paper; he was already in a state of utter confusion.

The drawing on the paper depicted a transmutation circle, a massive transmutation circle covering the entirety of Amestris.

"What...what exactly is this thing..."

"We usually call it the Territory Transformation Array."

Hughes looked at the transmutation circle on the paper. He had seen this transmutation circle before; it was shown in the information Edward had given him, and it was exactly the same transmutation circle as the one in the Fifth Laboratory.

"Could this transmutation circle be for... creating the Philosopher's Stone?"

Hughes gave the answer he least wanted to believe.

"It's pretty much a done deal; they plan to use the entire population of Amestris to forge the giant Philosopher's Stone." Isaac's words shattered Hughes' last shred of hope.

However, Hughes immediately looked at the map on the paper again and discovered some blind spots.

"Wait, if that's the case, then their next target should be Brixkes Fortress!" Hughes immediately shouted to Isaac, "Isaac, you used to be a Brixkes soldier, you know that place well, hurry up and go to Brixkes Fortress in the north to tell them this news..."

Isaac, however, said, "I don't think it's necessary."

"Why!?"

"Have you forgotten what I did in Brix?"

Hughes then remembered that Isaac had dropped thermobaric bombs on the Brix border, killing a large number of Dorakma troops.

"Is it already over?!" Hughes clutched his head in anguish.

Amestoris has his friends, his wife and daughter, and now that this has happened, no one in the entire country will be spared.

“Don’t rush,” Isaac patted Hughes on the shoulder to comfort him. “If this were the end of it, they would have acted long ago during the Rio riots. How much time has passed?”

Hughes then calmed down, and Isaac continued.

"Furthermore, once everything is settled, the androids won't need to come out and wander around anymore. Wouldn't it be better to just find a place to wait?"

“So you mean… they still have things to finish, or… they’re waiting for something?” Hughes asked.

“They’re probably going to draw a circle,” Isaac said.

The circle is fundamental to alchemy, representing the circulation of energy. If they want to activate a transmutation circle, they must draw a large circle.

How do you draw such a big circle?

“If it were me, I would dig a tunnel so no one would find out,” Isaac said, taking the paper from Hughes and putting it away. “Anyway, the investigation is over. If I continue, I’ll at most be demoted, while you’ll probably be in mortal danger.”

"Maybe..."

“Don’t look so gloomy,” Isaac laughed. “We won’t investigate, but if they come to us on their own initiative, that’s a different story.”

Isaac didn't give Hughes a chance to speak after he finished speaking, and turned to leave: "Don't be too nervous. With me here in Amestoris, there won't be any problems. I'm going to your house for dinner now."

Hughes stared blankly at Isaac as he walked away, and gave a wry smile: "Still so reassuring, Isaac."

He walked back to the intelligence department.

According to Isaac, the plan began with the Rivia Incident in 1558, which means that the plan started not long after the founding of the nation.

If this is true, it means that the enemy did not intend to achieve anything through Amestris, but rather that they established Amestris in order to achieve something else.

Just how terrifying is the enemy they are about to face?

"Let's listen to Isaac for now. We should be safe for the time being if we don't investigate," Hughes said with a smile.

However, a voice shattered his thoughts.

“That won’t do, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes.”

Hughes turned his head and saw a beautiful woman dressed in gorgeous clothes looking at him, her eyes as if she were looking at a dying man.

The newcomer was none other than the android Raste.

She had a tattoo on her chest, the same ouroboros standard that Isaac had shown him before.

Just as Isaac had predicted, the enemy came knocking on their door.

"Oh, miss, I've already given up the investigation, but you still won't let me go?" Hughes gave a wry smile and hurriedly pulled out a throwing knife from behind his back and threw it.

And Raste also lengthened her fingers.

Luster's fingers pierced Hughes's shoulder, while Hughes's throwing knife struck Luster squarely between the eyebrows.

Hughes rushed out after Luster fell, having heard Isaac say that androids wouldn't die if killed once.

Hughes, who had escaped outside, was looking for a phone booth when he saw Isaac standing in front of him.

"Isaac, you've arrived just in time, what about the rest..."

Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that Isaac in front of him was acting strangely.

"You...you're not Isaac, who are you?!"

Chapter 142: Kill One First

"You're not Isaac, so who are you?" Hughes asked warily, looking at the 'Isaac' in front of him.

'Isaac' slowly approached Hughes, looking puzzled, and said, 'What are you talking about? Of course I'm Isaac.'

“Don’t joke around! Isaac’s right hand and right foot are both mechanical armor, and the sound of his walk is obviously different from yours,” Hughes said, his hand already reaching for the throwing knife in his pocket.

“I see. It seems I don’t know him well enough,” 'Isaac' laughed, slowly transforming into the appearance of a young boy.

Envy, the android.

Hughes remembered that Isaac had told him about an android who could transform into other people.

At this moment, Lust also completed her resurrection and walked out of the intelligence department.

Surrounded from both sides, it seems there's no escape this time.

"I'm telling you, I've already given up on the intelligence, can't you just let me off the hook?" Hughes said with a wry smile.

“No, you know too much information. I can’t let you stay,” Rust chuckled.

Hughes seemed to have given up and raised his hands.

"So after I die, are you still going to kill Isaac? You're no match for him."

“We won’t kill that monster, and besides, he and Steel Boy are important ‘human pillars’ for us.” Rust slowly approached Hughes.

Hughes slowly stepped back and continued, "It seems my guess was right. You need to use the entire population of the country to forge the Philosopher's Stone. That's your purpose, isn't it?"

Envi scoffed, "The general direction is right, but the details are lacking."

"Then what is your purpose?"

At this moment, Rust said, "Alright, Envy, don't talk so much to a dying man, just kill him."

"Alright, I was going to play with this human for a bit, but for my father's sake, I have to get rid of you as soon as possible." Envy grinned maliciously and took out his pistol, aiming it at Hughes.

Hughes chuckled, as if he were indifferent to life and death: "Right now, I really wish you were Isaac, because he could never hit me with a pistol."

"That's a real shame, my aim is pretty good." Envy slowly pulled the trigger.

Hughes looked at them, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Isaac! If you don't come out now, I'm killing myself!"

"What!?"

Lest and Envy immediately became alert.

Suddenly, the bushes beside him split open, and a figure darted out. Before Envy could react, he found himself spinning and seeing his headless body.

When Lest saw this bizarre scene, she tried to defend herself, but a streak of colorful light flashed past, and her head fell to the ground.

In a split second, each of the two androids was killed once.

After beheading Rust, Isaac walked up to Hughes and said, "Not bad, you're a true comrade-in-arms. You knew I was hiding right next to you."

“‘Luring the enemy in deep and striking later’ is your usual tactic,” Hughes laughed, then looked at the two androids that were slowly recovering. “I won’t participate in your World Monster Expo.”

After saying that, he immediately hid in the bushes where Isaac had been hiding.

After giving Hughes the middle finger, Isaac walked up to Rust.

As soon as Rust recovered, she saw Isaac walking towards her. She tried to pierce him with her fingers, but before she could even use her hands, Isaac had already chopped them off.

"you!"

Before he could finish speaking, Isaac slashed again, severing her head once more.

The instant he chopped off her head, he immediately turned around and threw the knife, pinning the regenerated Envy to the ground.

"hateful!"

Envy, pinned to the ground, cried out in pain, trying to pull the knife from his chest, but a rainbow-colored streak of light severed his head. In the instant of death, Isaac used alchemy to deform the ground, burying half of his body in the earth.

"You just wait, I'll deal with you later!" Isaac saw the headless Envy glowing red, calculated the events he had repaired, and then turned his gaze to Rust.

Another slash.

Lass died, and was repaired again.

Another cut.

Death, then repair.

Back and forth.

In a short period of time, Lust experienced constant death and resurrection, and the Philosopher's Stone buried in her body grew smaller and smaller.

By the end, Isaac was getting tired: "Tsk, killing you was more tiring than killing a pig!"