The Promised Day

Greed's rampage inside the executive estate forces Wrath onto the defensive, and stray fragments of the previous Greed's memory keep surfacing until the Ultimate Shield snaps Bradley's blade and lets the runaway dive out a window. At the family mansion the next morning, Olivier bullies her father into surrendering the Armstrong headship, then wins it outright in a duel with Alex as their parents quietly pack for Xing, heeding her warning that Amestris is about to grow dangerous. To Alex she confides that her seat inside Central Command is only a mask.

Carrying the larval Envy in a jar, May reaches the mining town of Youswell and is moved by its people's warmth. The homunculus needles her, hinting that the true wellspring of his power back in Central would make a far grander prize for the Xing Emperor and might even save these kind strangers, and she turns her steps back toward the capital. Meanwhile Edward, Darius, and Heinkel find Mustang's ruined safehouse empty of Alphonse but occupied by a starving Ling, who has briefly reclaimed his body. Ling reveals that Father means to open the Gate on the Promised Day, an event that could let the brothers recover their bodies, before Greed retakes control and strolls off, disowning his siblings. Edward strikes a bargain, naming himself and the chimeras Greed's henchmen in exchange for information.

Across the country a hidden relay carries word of the plan. Hohenheim's message reaches Izumi through Mason and Sig, and she gets herself arrested to pass it up to Miles and Buccaneer at Fort Briggs. From there it travels by phone to Grumman, then by a note tucked into Black Hayate's collar to Hawkeye, and finally, through a paper cigarette, to Mustang hiding in a hospital bed. The message fixes the Promised Day for the coming spring, when north and east will strike together. As the season turns, the whole cast begins their long preparations while the last four homunculi gather at Father's side.

Greed severs his ties with the homunculi and escapes Bradley, then agrees to let Edward, Darius, and Heinkel serve as his henchmen in trade for what he knows of Father's plan. Ling reveals that the Gate will open on the Promised Day and may restore the brothers' bodies. Olivier defeats Alex to claim the Armstrong headship while positioning herself as a false loyalist within Central Command. A covert chain of messengers spreads Hohenheim's warning to Izumi, Fort Briggs, Grumman, Hawkeye, and Mustang, setting the joint north-and-east assault for the following spring.

The chapter draws on The Prodigal Father Returns, Family by Spirit, and The Promised Day, and it closes with SCANDAL's Shunkan SENTIMENTAL laid over freshly drawn preparation scenes. It is the first episode whose title card uses a plain black background and the only one to announce its name at the very end, mirroring its source chapter, though Adult Swim shifted that card to the opening. The American broadcast also dropped the post-credits beat of Mustang burning the note with flame alchemy. May's welcome in Youswell was reworked into simple kindness rather than gratitude, since the town's earlier storyline never appeared in this adaptation. The episode marks the first use of the nickname Greedling and finally clarifies Mason's role at the butcher shop.