Ed and Al had cornered Scar.
Ed confronted him about killing the doctor, the man who had been Winry's father. Winry, having followed the sound of fighting, reached the scene just in time to hear everything.
Misato turned the page, her thumb pressing the paper's edge as her brow tensed.
"Please don't be the classic trope of the female lead coming in between and ruining the flow," she muttered under her breath. "Please don't make any stupid decision that makes me dislike the story... stories like this come rarely."
She didn't really think it would happen. Mizushiro's writing wasn't that kind of cheap setup, but she had seen this kind of scene too many times before. So, somewhere deep in her mind, the thought still lingered.
As she turned the next page, Winry collapsed onto the ground, her body trembling, asking why Scar had killed them, her parents, the people who had saved lives even during the war. Then her eyes caught sight of a pistol beside her. Her hands hesitated before slowly reaching for it.
Ed and Al both shouted, trying to stop her.
"Winry, don't!"
"Please, put it down!"
Scar, facing her calmly, said, "You have the right to shoot me."
The scene shifted. The panel opened into a flashback years ago, when Central's military forces had entered Ishbal after civil unrest had broken out. They unleashed their full power, slaughtering civilians with alchemy.
Scar's brother had discovered something about alchemy, something different from the rest of the world's practice. In the chaos, he ran toward Scar, pressing a notebook into his hands.
"Take this," he shouted. "You're the only one who can keep it safe. Run!"
Moments later, the Crimson Alchemist appeared, his gloves sparking. He attacked without hesitation. Scar's brother stepped between them, shielding him from the explosion.
The scene jumped forward to a refugee camp. Scar woke up, his vision blurry. The first thing he saw were the blue eyes of Amestris soldiers. His right arm was bandaged, strange symbols inked into his skin. When he unwrapped it and saw the tattoo of his brother's mark on his hand, realization of what had happened. As rage flooded him, he snapped and killed the doctor tending to his wounds.
Back in the present, Scar looked down at Winry.
"If you can't shoot," he said coldly, "then do as the boy told you. You're in my way."
He lunged forward. Ed moved instinctively, evading Scar's strike, and jumped, landing between Winry and Scar.
Seeing this, Scar froze just for a heartbeat. The image of his brother flashed before his eyes, standing in the same position long ago, shielding him from death.
Al used that moment of distraction to create a wall blocking Scar, Ed, and Winry. He attacked Scar, but Scar smashed through the wall and fled.
[Note: Play "Let It Out" by Miho Fukuhara]
As Al chased after him, Ed turned back.
"Winry, let go of the gun."
Winry's hands shook. Tears fell onto the metal grip.
"I couldn't shoot…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Ed's expression softened. "Please don't shoot. I'm begging you."
"But he killed Mom and Dad!" Winry's voice broke. "He tried to kill you and Al too. Why shouldn't I?!"
Ed knelt beside her. "You helped a woman give birth in Rush Valley. You saved her and her baby. You gave me an arm and a leg so I could stand again."
He looked her straight in the eyes. "Your hands aren't meant for killing people. They're for helping them live."
Winry covered her face as she cried uncontrollably as the chapter ended.
Misato sat still for a moment, her fingers resting on the last page. Then she reached for her phone, put on the ending song, and let it play as she stared at the final panel. The more she listened, the heavier the emotion grew. Her eyes blurred. She wiped them once, but the tears kept coming.
By the time she finally closed the issue, the song had finished. The chapter stayed with her, its weight, its warmth, its pain. When she lay down that night, the ending still echoed faintly in her head. She must have listened to it at least five times before sleep finally came.
Online, reactions mirrored her own. People shared screenshots, comments, and thoughts while the ending theme played in the background.
"Thank god Mizushiro didn't kill anyone."
"This chapter was so emotional, it really got my eyes watery. Winry crying and then that ending song… man, it was peak."
"Right? The song fits the chapter so perfectly. Usually, endings try to match the emotion, but it's rare to feel like the song is 100% synced with the story."
"Of course it fits. Mizushiro wrote the song with the story in mind. What's weird is that no one praises him for that. Is Mizushiro underrated or what? Why don't I see much about him in the news except for his anime work?"
"I don't think he's underrated, but yeah, you're right. Most of the media and people focus only on his anime. They rarely talk about how well his manga is doing or how much work he's actually putting in."
"Rejoice, my fellow readers! I come with good news. You can read the new chapter peacefully. There hasn't been any death!"
"You're not trolling, are you? If I find out anyone died, I'll personally come to your house."
"No, I'm not lying. Today's issue didn't have any deaths. But who knows, they might have just wrapped one part of the ending. The whole arc could last four to five months."
"Damn it. So for the next four or five months, I'll have to check online before reading each new chapter. I can't take another heartbreak."
"If you think that way, just stop reading until it's over. Problem solved."
"Then what? I won't know what happens for the next five months. What will I even do?"
"I don't know. Read another manga. But for this one, you can be sure there'll be more moments like this."
"But I can't stop! I love this manga too much."
There were many readers caught in the same dilemma. Everyone was on edge, wondering whether Mizushiro would kill their favorite character in the next chapter. Yet none of them could stop reading. So they came up with the best ritual they could, curse Mizushiro before starting a new chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist.
If no one died, they praised him.
If someone did, the curses continued.
[Note: still seeing this scene with music gives me goosebumps.]
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)