บท 133: Chapter 133: The Ice Alchemist
"So that's how it is." Lust's words immediately made Daniel understand how he was discovered and tracked. Casually revealing her abilities highlighted the fundamental difference between homunculi and humans.
To the homunculi and the dwarf in the flask, humans were weak and pathetic creatures, doomed to repeat their mistakes. The only lesson humanity learned from history was that they learned nothing at all.
Individuals would clash, groups would compete, and crowds would inevitably divide.
However, despite their weakness, humans were also incredibly resilient. The most admirable figure in Fullmetal Alchemist wasn't the Elric brothers but Hohenheim, the Light Alchemist.
For centuries, he conversed with the souls within his Philosopher's Stone, gradually purifying them, laying the groundwork for the final battle.
If not for releasing the fifty million souls trapped within Amestris from the dwarf, which prevented him from overpowering the Truth, Edward and his allies wouldn't have stood a chance.
With those fifty million souls, the dwarf would have wielded god-like power, capable of creating nuclear fission by hand, essentially holding the power of the sun.
"Now, can you tell me who you are?" Lust asked, just as Daniel pulled out a gun and fired at her, then swiftly at Gluttony, hitting both before they could react.
Daniel didn't bother looking at their fallen forms and quickly fled. Now wasn't the time to kill the homunculi. He grabbed his flying broom and sped away.
Although Gluttony's sense of smell was formidable, it surely had a range limit. As long as he maintained enough distance, he'd be fine.
"Gluttony's ability... reminds me of another character with an excellent nose, and the countermeasure is simple." The thought amused Daniel as he flew.
"Perfume should mask the scent well enough. I wonder to what extent Gluttony's ability works." After covering sufficient distance, Daniel stopped.
"Gluttony, keep tracking." Shortly after Daniel left, Lust and Gluttony got back up. Seeing Lust's look, Gluttony, looking aggrieved, shook his head.
"We've lost him. Let's head back." Lust sighed and started to retreat.
"Looks like I wasn't discovered after all. Time to study the medical alchemy I obtained, then head to Xing for alchemy studies." Alchemy had limited range, while Xing's alchemy could be used from a distance, making it much more convenient.
"Philosopher's Stones have near-omnipotent power, able to heal any injury. If I had enough of them, could I help some people survive the Mind Stone's enhancement?" This idea suddenly flashed in Daniel's mind.
"Sigh, if I'd known I'd be discovered, I would have taken some Philosopher's Stones."
Being a biochemist and having the Op-Op Fruit's abilities gave Daniel an edge in learning medical alchemy.
"Some effects are similar to magic, but in terms of internal organs, alchemy has an advantage." Harry Potter's magic had some healing spells, but internal injuries mainly relied on potions and herbs. Alchemy had unique strengths in this area.
Boom.
One day, while Daniel was researching alchemy, he heard a loud explosion outside, followed by people screaming. He ended his studies and went out to investigate.
He had rented this room using gold to exchange for Amestris currency and specifically rented a house for his research.
"What is that?" Daniel saw a massive ice mountain several meters high in the distance, near the Presidential Palace.
He quickly rushed to the second-floor rooftop and used binoculars to examine the ice mountain.
"Three, no, four ice mountains. They seem to be sealing off the Presidential Palace. Did an alchemist attack the Führer?"
With this thought, Daniel jumped from the second floor, took out his flying broom, and headed towards the Presidential Palace.
"Impressive, sealing off the Presidential Palace with ice mountains." Using the Disillusionment Charm, Daniel flew on his broom, watching the ice mountains below. He roughly guessed what had happened.
He admired the alchemist's ability to create such large transmutation circles near the Presidential Palace. The power of a transmutation circle was proportional to its size.
Large-scale alchemy required large circles. Colonel Mustang's flame alchemy gloves had a power limit due to their small size.
The National Transmutation Circle surrounded the entire country, demonstrating the need for its vast size.
Boom, boom, boom.
Around the ice mountains, Central soldiers fired guns and cannons, trying to break through and reach the Presidential Palace.
Several State Alchemists, including the Flame Alchemist, the Iron Blood Alchemist, and the Strong Arm Alchemist, along with the newly minted Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, also attacked the ice.
Edward and Alphonse were fighting a scarred man on the ice mountain, about six or seven meters high. Mustang and the others couldn't reach them, so they attacked from below.
Mustang's continuous flame snaps were the most destructive. Even the Iron Blood Alchemist's cannons couldn't match the fire's intensity.
Flame and ice counter each other.
Most alchemists in Fullmetal Alchemist specialized in one type of alchemy, unlike Daniel, who studied various kinds. If an earth-type alchemist were present, they could easily solve the ice problem by creating stairs or elevating the ground.
This highlighted Edward's photogenic talent. Without needing a transmutation circle, he could activate any alchemy he understood by clapping his hands. Theoretically, Edward could use Mustang's flame alchemy if he had a flame source.
The Elric brothers fought on the ice using earth alchemy to climb up.
"Such rashness. Bringing Mustang to the ice would simplify things, but they didn't think of that."
"This is the Flame Alchemist's transmutation circle." Daniel muttered, recording Mustang's glove's circle with his binoculars' video feature. He also recorded the Iron Blood and Strong Arm Alchemists' circles, planning to study them later.
Transmutation circles weren't static; they could be modified as long as the basic elements remained unchanged. Mustang's flame alchemy was his master's secret, but Daniel understood its principles after learning alchemy.
It mainly increased fire temperature. Fire alchemy wasn't rare; many alchemist families used similar circles for cooking.
Of course, this was exclusive to alchemists. Ordinary people couldn't use it.
"The Ice Alchemist, huh? It's on his palm. State Alchemists indeed differ from ordinary ones." State Alchemists were called military dogs and human weapons, likely because they carried transmutation circles on them. Daniel noticed most non-State Alchemists didn't have circles on them and drew them as needed.
The Elric brothers were like this, while other State Alchemists had circles on their palms, gloves, or equipment, always ready for battle.
"The former Ice Alchemist Isaac, huh?" Daniel overheard and identified the ice alchemist as a participant in the Ishvalan War, who later joined the resistance after discovering the truth and attempted to assassinate the Führer.
"He must have learned the truth." Daniel, intrigued by Isaac's ice alchemy, slipped into the Presidential Palace.
Isaac was already losing to the Elric brothers, injured from previous battles with State Alchemists.
Seeing defeat imminent, Isaac used his blood to activate ice alchemy and escape from the Elrics. His physical condition and hesitation to harm Edward, seeing him as a child, contributed to his loss.
"Damn." Isaac leaned against a wall, catching his breath. He had fought hard to fend off the soldiers and alchemists but was determined to kill the Führer despite his injuries.
"Isaac, looking for me?" A voice interrupted Isaac's thoughts. He saw a man in a blue military uniform with an eyepatch, holding a sword—King Bradley.
"King Bradley." Isaac shouted, summoning strength as his blood formed a snow-white ice spear in his hand.
"Everything is because of you. If I kill you, it ends." Isaac charged with the blood spear.
Bradley, unfazed, calmly drew his sword.
"You're sending yourself to death." As Bradley moved, Daniel appeared behind Isaac, delivering a chop to his neck, knocking him out. He then created a wall to block Bradley's advance.
Boom.
The wall was slashed and crumbled as Bradley cut through with his sword.
"As expected of the strongest homunculus." Daniel carried Isaac to the second-floor rooftop, evading Bradley's attack.
"Trying to escape?" Bradley muttered, jumping up with his sword aimed at Daniel and Isaac. Once committed to an action, Bradley never backed down.
Daniel had no intention of fighting Bradley. He wanted to learn Isaac's ice alchemy, but Bradley had other plans.
"What a hassle." Seeing Bradley's relentless pursuit, Daniel fired several shots from a handgun.
Boom, boom, boom.
Bradley dodged two bullets and sliced the third. Seeing his left eye revealed with the ouroboros symbol, Daniel emptied his gun and took a photo with a mini-camera.
Bradley's speed was impressive, but Daniel wasn't slow either.
"Such a persistent foe. If the timing were right, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you. You're not invincible." Daniel threw several smoke grenades, creating a thick, irritating fog, and escaped with Isaac.
"Did I almost get drawn into a brawl with Bradley because I felt hot-blooded, or because he's a homunculus?" Daniel mused. Killing Bradley would be easy with his abilities. His Vibranium Ant-Man suit made him invincible against Bradley.
The Vibranium suit ensured Bradley couldn't harm him.
"Upon Isaac's awakening, I learned why he tried to assassinate the Führer. Discovering the truth about the Philosopher's Stone during the Ishvalan War, he joined the resistance, believing Bradley was the mastermind."
Amestris had been established for over a century. Many had noticed discrepancies but underestimated their advers
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