Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"'The Guild of the Far North'?"

"A guild of mysticism that studies ancient civilizations instead of science, including things like black magic, demon summoning, astrology, and alchemy."

"...Would Dad really be interested in something like this?"

“After all, it includes alchemy, so it’s not surprising that this world has some mysterious powers,” Isaac said. “I guess Hohenheim also wants to find his way back to Amestris through this method.”

"If that's really the case, it would be incredibly stupid. Alchemy is a science too; how can you study it together with something like this?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. It's simply unrealistic for the science and technology of this world to allow us to travel between worlds. We can only try our luck with this kind of mysticism."

At this point, Isaac suddenly stopped and looked around.

The place they were in now was just a staircase surrounded by stone walls.

"what happened to you?"

"That gas is getting closer and closer, and it may be enormous in size."

"You mean... there really are dragons?"

"Shine a flashlight on the ground."

"Oh."

Upon hearing this, Edward pointed the flashlight beam at the ground.

The staircase was clearly visible under the light, and Edward could see a distinct dent in the center of each step.

He crouched down and rubbed his fingers on the dent, then smiled wryly at the powder stuck to his hand.

"It seems there really is a giant snake swimming inside."

“His body is at least three meters wide and about... twenty meters long,” Isaac said, looking at the marks on the steps. “And judging from the aura he exudes, he should be an artificial human.”

"Artificial humans? Your world has artificial humans too?"

"Yes, they were created by some fool who secretly manipulated the entire country, but they've all been wiped out."

“I see… They’re a bit different from the androids in our world,” Edward said. “The androids in our world are created from failed human transmutation attempts.”

"The alchemy in your world must be so friendly; you can still get something even if you fail."

The two walked along the broken stairwell as they talked, and soon reached the top.

After stepping out of the narrow corridor, they once again saw the stars in the night sky and the bright moon. Isaac and Edward were on a high platform in the open air of the castle.

"I didn't see a dragon. Logically speaking, something that big should be easy to spot."

Edward looked around but saw nothing but an empty field.

"No, it's nearby."

"what?"

"It's here."

"Edward!!!!!"

A deafening sound rang out from a large door nearby, and a huge blue monster burst out of it.

Its shape resembles a giant python, covered in scales, but its head looks more like a legendary dragon than a snake.

After the monster darted out, it ignored Isaac and instead bit down on Edward, who was standing to the side.

The enormous mouth swallowed Edward whole, but Edward managed to hold the monster's teeth in place with his mechanical arm, preventing it from biting him to pieces.

"Envy, huh..."

"Hohenheim's son, Edward Elric!!!"

The monster seemed unusually angry, its jaws tightening around Edward's, causing Edward's mechanical arm to make a 'crackling' sound under the strain.

"Envy? The homunculus Envy who represents 'jealousy'?"

Isaac looked at the monster that resembled a giant dragon, and then thought of Envy, whom he had defeated in just a few rounds in his own world.

I have to say, this one looks a bit more pleasing to the eye, even though they're both monsters.

“Envy…” Edward struggled to stay awake, “Why do we have to keep fighting even in this world?”

Envy ignored Edward's words and continued trying to crush him.

buzzing...

The sound of propellers filled the night sky. Isaac looked up and saw several biplanes circling overhead, their wings marked with a black iron cross.

"The German army? Their target is Envy after all."

Seeing Edward, whom Envy said was on the verge of collapse, Isaac snapped his fingers.

boom----

Envy's massive body suddenly exploded.

Blood splattered out, leaving large patches of bloody flesh and charred black marks on Envy's body. Wounded, it had no choice but to spit Edward out of its mouth.

"Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, thank you."

Edward mustered his strength and looked at Envy in front of him.

"The android my dad created... it still sees me as an enemy after all."

"Made in Hohenheim!?"

Before Isaac could ask any more questions, the German planes circling overhead launched an attack.

The machine guns on the plane kept firing, and Envy, who was below, was constantly splattered with blood and let out a shrill scream.

"German troops? Why..."

“I’d like to know too, but their goal isn’t to kill Envy, but to capture it.”

"what?"

"Look, a big guy is coming."

Isaac pointed to the sky, and Edward immediately looked in that direction.

A huge Zeppelin airship was slowly flying over.

"...Should we stop them?"

"No need. Don't forget my goal is to find Hohenheim. Their appearance might be the answer to this question for us."

Chapter 972: It's Good to Be Alive

Several planes fired relentlessly at Envy, who had transformed into a giant dragon, and several bullet holes appeared on Envy's body under their continuous strafing.

Unlike the androids that Isaac was familiar with, Envita's wounds did not heal quickly, and his body gradually deteriorated during the battle.

"Roar----"

Envy roared at the planes and swung his tail, smashing down one of the faster-flying planes.

Although they lost one plane, the remaining planes still managed to inflict significant damage on Envy using their machine guns.

Perhaps the damage had reached its limit, because Envy let out a scream and then collapsed to the ground, motionless.

"Envy!"

"Now is not the time to worry about androids."

Isaac said calmly, pointing his finger to the sky.

"Someone's coming."

The remaining planes landed in the open area of ​​the castle, and ropes were lowered from the airships in the sky. Several soldiers with their faces covered descended from them and surrounded Isaac.

Edward, who couldn't use alchemy, was instantly grabbed by the shoulders and pinned to the ground by several German soldiers, while the remaining soldiers pointed their pistols at Isaac's head.

One of the soldiers removed his mask, revealing a slightly aged face underneath.

"Lancers, prepare."

"Yes."

The soldiers who landed quickly assembled a rocket launcher-like device and pulled the launch button on the massive Envy.

Several harpoons were fired from the rocket launcher, pinning the already battered Envy firmly in place. The remaining soldiers then stepped forward with strips of cloth.

"The giant serpent has been captured."

"Hey! Where are you taking him!?"

Upon hearing Edward's question, the man calmly turned around and looked at Isaac and Edward.

"Just forget about what happened today. It's better for ordinary people not to remember it."

After speaking to Edward, he looked towards Isaac's side.

"I didn't expect there to be foreigners here. I'm very sorry, but I have no choice but to shut you up forever."

After saying that, he stretched out his hand and waved it.

"shot."

However, the soldier pointing the gun at Isaac only struggled with all his might, without pulling the trigger.

"What's wrong? Deal with him quickly."

"Professor Haushofer! Our bodies are out of control!!" several soldiers shouted.

Under the moonlight, their bodies were covered by tiny black shadows that crawled up to their fingers, making it impossible for them to even pull the trigger.

"What!?"

"Haushofer? So it was you."

He hadn't expected that this Haushofer was actually a rather famous historical figure.

Karl Hoshofer, president of the German Academy of Sciences during the Third Reich, was a renowned military strategist, psychologist, and anthropologist, and one of the men who shaped the future Führer of the Third Reich.

Isaac laughed and snapped his fingers.

The soldier who had just been pointing a gun at him suddenly made a 'crackling' sound as his bones shattered, his body twisted into a bizarre shape, and he collapsed limply to the ground.