The episode ends on a tense standoff in the snowy courtyard of Briggs. Ed glares at Kimblee, who smiles and says, “I’ve heard so much about you, Fullmetal. I look forward to working together.”
At that moment, another intruder appears—, sent by Central Command to oversee Briggs and root out traitors. He smiles pleasantly as he enters, his philosopher’s stone fragments gleaming in his palms. Olivier’s expression doesn’t change, but the power balance shifts. Kimblee is here to stay, and he’s brought orders: the Elrics are to be placed under his supervision. fullmetal alchemist brotherhood episode 18
She reveals she’s already suspected a conspiracy. For months, she’s been secretly mapping the snow-covered terrain and finding strange, artificial tunnels beneath Briggs—tunnels that don’t appear on any Central command map. These, she believes, are part of Father’s network. The episode ends on a tense standoff in
Olivier orders continuous artillery fire to keep him regenerating slowly, effectively imprisoning him. She then calmly tells Ed, “You said the Homunculi are immortal? Then we’ll make him wish he could die.” He smiles pleasantly as he enters, his philosopher’s
Meanwhile, in the lower levels of Briggs, the chimera Zampano and Jerso (former prisoners of the military) have been hiding. They’re approached by a mysterious figure—a small, elderly woman with a sharp tongue and a pipe. This is and Heinkel ? No—correction: it’s actually Mrs. Bradley ? No—it’s Izumi Curtis , the Elrics’ teacher. She and her husband Sig have tracked the Elrics to Briggs after hearing of their troubles. Her presence is a surprise: she’s come to help, though she’s frail from her own past human transmutation.
Snow falls heavily. The Briggs soldiers watch in silence, fingers on triggers. And somewhere deep beneath the fortress, Sloth continues to groan, slowly regenerating, trapped like a beast in a cage—a symbol of the arrogance of humans who dare to cage a monster, and the arrogance of a homunculus who thought he was unstoppable. refers to the recurring theme in FMA of humans trying to grasp power beyond their reach—but also to Olivier’s philosophy: even a small human hand, with enough cunning, can crush a giant if it knows where to press.
Olivier seizes the moment. Instead of panicking, she orders her troops to open the inner gates, luring Sloth into a trap. The massive Homunculus crashes through multiple armored doors, complaining the whole time (“So… tired…”). Once inside a specially reinforced chamber, Olivier drops the ceiling on him—a huge spiked block of Briggs steel. Sloth is pinned, but not dead. Homunculi can only be killed by depleting their Philosopher’s Stone cores, not by physical force.