Description[]
Fire Emblem vs. Fullmetal Alchemist! Military leaders with command over both soldier and flame, which Roy will prove to be deadlier?
Intro[]
Wiz: Fire. A natural force that has been feared since ancient times for its' unforgiving, unyielding, devastating destructive might.
Boomstick: And these two military leaders effortlessly hurl around flames like they're nothing! Roy, the Young Lion of Fire Emblem!
Wiz: And Colonel Roy Mustang, from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
Roy[]
Wiz: One thousand years past, the war known as the Scouring ran rampant. Before this bloody massacre, dragonkin and humanity lived in peace. That is, until the humans declared war against the draconic beasts. It seemed the humans would win by sheer numbers, forcing the dragons to request the aid of the Divine Dragons.
Boomstick: But that didn't... really work, so they had to kidnap the Divine Dragon child Idunn. Like... like Bowser and Peach, but with an actual dragon?
Wiz: With the young girl in captivity, the Dragons destroyed her soul, turning her into a Demon Dragon and giving her the ability to summon War Dragons.
Boomstick: Wait, slow down! Why can the dragons destroy souls? How the hell does that give people summoning powers? WHAT IS A WAR DRAGON???
Wiz: The important thing is that the humans ultimately prevailed, forcing the dragons to flee into the Dragon’s Gate. Now in the present time, the kingdom of Bern, led by the dragon sympathizer Zephiel, suddenly began to invade Sacae and Ilia, leaving them wasting in defeat in a staggeringly quick manner.
Boomstick: With two counties under their belt, Bern decided to aim for a threepeat, going after the small country Lycia.
Wiz: Which happened to be the location of Roy, the son of the hero-Marquess Eliwood of Pherae and the Dragon dancer, Ninian.. Hearing of the incoming attack, Roy joined up with Lycia’s armies in hopes of halting Bern’s assault.
Boomstick: Wait, Roy's part DRAGON!?!?
Wiz: Well, he would only be one-fourth dragon, but yes. Well, actually, I should probably specify: Roy might be one-fourth dragon. It's not entirely confirmed who his mother is, despite how blatantly obvious it seems to be.
(Cue Beneath a New Light: Roy's Courage)
Boomstick: Ah, lame. Roy eventually met up with his father in Pherae, reuniting with childhood friend Lilina as well. And Lilina happened to be the daughter of Eliwood’s good friend, Hector. Say Wiz, would you let my son bang your daughter?
Wiz: Of COURSE not! Any offspring you manage to produce is bound to inherit your lack of wit and general indecency.
Boomstick: At least they won’t be a dweeb like you.
Wiz: [Sigh] Anyway, Roy would become Eliwood’s replacement, leading the Pherae army in his steed since his father was ill. On Roy’s crusade against Bern, he eventually ended up in the heart of said country searching for the old Divine Weapons used to defeat the Dragons of old. As Bern’s King, Zephiel, was using Idunn to supply his army with dragons, only the Divine Weapons could give the humans a fighting chance against these massive beasts.
Boomstick: There were plenty of them to pick from, but the best one is easily the one Roy wields; the Binding Blade! This baby is my favorite sword, it comes packed and loaded with flames galore, and it hits like a god damn truck!
Wiz: The Binding Blade is the most powerful of all the Divine Weapons of Elibe, far surpassing even those wielded by his father, Eliwood, and Hector of Ostia. With the Fire Emblem at its core, the blade grants Roy a notable boost in his defenses, allows him to heal a considerable amount of health, and deals even particularly fatal damage to dragons. And, true to its' name, the Binding Blade can seal away draconic beings with just a single cut, or even those with half dragon blood. In some adaptations, the dragons are sealed away in some sort of ice or crystal structure, leaving them totally vulnerable.
Boomstick: Sort of like Marth's blade, the Binding Blade does even more damage when used up close, near the hilt. Because of that, Roy likes to go in close and dish out some huge damage face-to-face.
Wiz: And of course, the blade has the innate ability to spew flames... somehow. Roy can use this is a variety of different ways, like hurling explosive flames from afar, or fiery swipes to dish out even more pain. But when push comes to shove, Roy can overcharge his sword to dish out a devastating explosion that can obliterate any foe with ease... at the cost of some self-inflicted recoil.
Boomstick: Please, what's a little recoil when you can blow up everyone around you to smithereens? With that kind of power behind him, why the hell does he even need a Rapier?
Wiz: While the Rapier is a much more modest weapon (ironically enough), it does boast a refined-tip, perfect for exploiting gaps in heavy armor and cavalry.
Boomstick: While his armory is a bit lacking for my tastes, Roy's got some super handy skills behind him to make him worthy of his title: "The Young Lion."
(Cue Beyond the Distant Skies: Roy's Journey)
Wiz: Roy carries the ability Sol, a technique that heals the user exactly half of the damage dealt on a foe. It's sorta like a certain other move, just... less cool.
Boomstick: Armsthrift lets Roy handle his weapons with particular care, meaning they are less likely to break after some serious abuse. And for some reason the Binding Blade can break, so... good call for packing that one.
Wiz: Axebreaker provides Roy with utmost superiority over Axe-wielding foes, increasing Roy's evasion and hit rate whenever facing such opponents.
Boomstick: Aegis acts like some sort of magical shield, which halves damage taken from Magic, Arrows, and even DRAGON BREATH. It's sorta starting to make sense how Roy kicked so much ass, he's got some crazy skills under his belt!
Wiz: If you thought his Axebreaker was impressive, Roy also boasts Triangle Adept; a powerful technique that comes with a cost. When facing Axe-wielding enemies, Roy's prowess increases even FURTHER, providing a 20% attack boost. ...But in return, Lance-wielders have a 20% increase in damage, while Roy suffers a 20% penalty in damage output. Incredibly powerful against the right foes, but deadly if faced against a certain adversary.
Boomstick: And finally, he's got Seal Defense, which lowers enemies defense drastically after engaging in combat. While he may get manhandled by lances, hey, at least the debuff might help!
Wiz: Roy is a particularly studious and well-educated young man. He was trained and raised by the Mage General, Cecilia, which is how he learned most of what he demonstrated on the field of battle. As the primary General of Elibe's Army, Roy is an adept strategist, being particularly clever and attentive, able to outsmart many a foe through wit and cunning alone. Like the time he faced the indominable Bernite General Murdoch, and realized that if neither magic nor sword could penetrate his armor, a distraction and a combination of both attacks would do the trick.
Boomstick: Or the time Roy figured out how to intercept Zephiel's HELICOPTER attack in order to lessen the impact.
Wiz: With the Binding Blade at his side, Roy has defeated King Zephiel, the Demon Dragon Idunn, and countless assassins, veteran knights, and more.
Boomstick: The sword itself is strong enough to ignite the air itself, a feat that implies a source of energy within the Binding Blade powerful enough to CONSTANTLY fire off explosions without any issues. It's... like having your own grenade launcher, but without the grenades. And it's a sword!
Wiz: An explosion that size is particularly impressive considering the blast comes from the actual Sword, and not any kind of speed-initiated combustion or chemical reaction. Theoretically, Roy could use this power non-stop with little more than recoil here and there.
Boomstick: And let's not forget that Roy causes these explosions not only in the distance, but also... y'know... RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS FACE! That's hardcore as hell, and he doesn't even FLINCH!! Wiz, math time, NOW!
Wiz: Actually, you might be surprised to hear that Roy has an even more impressive feat with tanking fire. In the manga adaptation, Roy, along with the side hero Al, face off against a dragon before Roy is in possession of the Binding Blade. While under attack by the dragon, Roy ends up tanking a full on earth-rupturing blast from the dragon. Judging by how the dragon previously obliterated castles and villages, Roy is potentially surviving at least enough power to level most small settlements.
Boomstick: And he just... gets up, perfectly fine! It doesn't even look like he's injured a few pages later after the dragon is killed.
Wiz: That's not all. Take a look at the destructive capability of Aureola, one of the divine weapons used in the Scouring. If you recall, the Binding Blade is far superior to all of them, including Aureola. In this panel, we can see Tiena cast the Aureola magic on the battlefield, leaving a humongous crater in its' wake.
Boomstick: Holy shit! Not even the meteor magic spells leave craters like this! Though I guess that's expected, since those are normal tomes and Aureola is one of a kind.
Wiz: Scaling to the soldiers who are in this shot, and using their scale to find the dimensions of the crater, we can tell that Aureola would be classified as a "shallow dob", and likely has an output of 2,500 tons of TNT. For comparison, the biggest man-made explosion in history before the nuclear bomb occured in Halifax, Canada, when two ships containing 2,500 tons of TNT collided.
Boomstick: You mean to tell me Roy's swinging around enough power to level a city?
Wiz: Well, it certainly has the potential to be. Since we know the Binding Blade can manipulate and produce its own explosions, the comparison between Aureola and the Binding Blade is plausible. There's also no reason to assume the Binding Blade is any weaker than Aureola; actually, the Binding Blade is likely MORE powerful than the calculated 2,500 tons. If Aureola can level a port city, it's feasible the Binding Blade could in fact do more.
Boomstick: If Roy can just fart out this much power, why does he ever struggle with like... anything?
Wiz: Well, the sword is certainly insane, but Roy... isn't. See, Roy is fairly intelligent, having studied under the mage general Cecilia as a child, but he is still not exactly a master at swordplay, nor does he innately have much strength. He was blatantly overpowered by Murdoch when he did not have the Binding Blade. And compared to the Binding Blade, Murdoch could only create shockwaves in the ground with his strength. Roy even outright admits that a direct blow from the enemy general would kill him. So, while Roy may have impressive resistance to fire, produced by him or not, his physical capabilities are clearly restricted. Plus, the Binding Blade does have its limits. It isn't indestructible, despite all its immense power.
Boomstick: Still... It's no wonder Roy is considered one of the strongest Lords; with a sword like that, who could possibly stand a chance?
Roy: "Failure is not an option!"
Roy Mustang[]
Wiz: The Ishavlan War. A brutal, senseless genocide of the Ishval people under the order of King Bradley, Fuher of Amestris. While at first it appeared the Ishval rebellion against Amestris could withstand, it soon became apparent that all hope was lost when certain indivduals appeared on the battlefield: Alchemists.
Boomstick: You mean like those guys who mess with potions and draw circles everywhere?
Wiz: Well, kind of. In the Fullmetal Alchemist word, Alchemy is kind of like magic and science combined. Essentially, alchemy is the act of understanding, decomposing, and reconstructing matter. But before we get into that, first we need to talk about the "Hero of Ishval", whose powerful alchemy accumulated a higher body count than any other state alchemist: Roy Mustang.
Boomstick: Roy Mustang is a through and through badass, there's no way around it!
Wiz: In his youth, Roy discovered Alchemy and sought the teachings of Berthold Hawkeye, a flame alchemist.
Boomstick: Roy was trained by Hawkeye? Like... Hawkeye Hawkeye?!
Wiz: No, although Berthold's daughter Riza IS a sharpshooter. She also happens to be Roy's personal aid and bodyguard in the military, which he enlisted in as Amestris faced continually border wars. With his Flame Alchemy, Roy proved to be a vital asset to the military and quickly earned a name for himself.
Boomstick: It's just a shame that old Hawkeye died, but I guess it's okay since Girl Hawkeye had everything Roy needed to finish his training.
Wiz: Indeed, Roy would go on to master his art and pass the state alchemist certification exam, which is how he ended up on the battlefield in Ishval years later. Unfortunately, Roy's youthful idealogy was shaken after being forced to take countless lives. He gained the eyes of a murderer, and from that day on promised to rise up the ranks of the military in order to protect those below him, preventing another such atrocity from ever happening again. Driven by his ambition alone, he managed to not just help but become instrumental in defeating Father, the original Homunculi.
Boomstick: You know you're good when the guy who's gonna be GOD specifically has to plot a way to handicap you from stopping him.
Wiz: It's true, Mustang's skills were so impressive that he was chosen to be one of five instrumental sacrifices in order to fulfill Father's plans of attaining godhood. It is here that, like Edward Elric, Mustang was forced to commit human transmutation.
Boomstick: What's so bad about th- OH GOD
Wiz: Human transmutation, intentional or not, brings with it a dire cost; the loss of something indicative of the flaw that led to the alchemist's mistake. In Mustang's case, it was his ambitious future that he envisioned: literally.
Boomstick: Oh, I get it!... I don't get it.
Wiz: Whatever, point is, even with his eyesight stolen, Mustang still devoted himself to the ultimate cause, and adapted quickly to his newfound handicap with the help of Hawkeye. Don't worry though, he got better.
Boomstick: I don't think people just 'get better' from being BLIND, Wiz. Even I know that!
Wiz: Well, 'get better' as in, the use of a Philosopher's Stone restored his sight. At least, in the main continuity. The other time, he got his eye shot out and had to use an eyepatch.
Boomstick: What's with this guy and losing eyes? If it was just one time that'd be one thing, but how do you lose an eye AND lose both your eyesight?
Wiz: Don't get it twisted, there are essentially two main continuities for the world of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which follows the source material the most, and the 2003 adaptation. Both incarnations of Mustang are pretty much the same in terms of combat potential, though their stories do differ quite a bit, even down to how they lose their sights. Either way, eventually, Mustang could finally pursue his goal of becoming Fuher.
Boomstick: When you can blow shit up with the literal snap of your fingers, I imagine it can't be too hard to do that.
Wiz: Alchemy is built on the foundations of Equivalent Exchange, meaning that nothing can be made or destroyed unless something of equal value is also destroyed or created. Alchemy also abides to the Laws of Conservation of Mass, as well as the Laws of Natural Providence, meaning that transmuted objects must share a similar makeup and also that nothing can be destroyed to the point of nonexistence.
Boomstick: I don't know how you did it, but somehow you made blowing stuff up boring.
Wiz: It's important to keep in mind the basic rules of Alchemy. Despite Roy's usage of alchemy being pretty straightforward, he still has to abide by the laws every time he snaps his fingers. He cannot manipulate matter innately; he requires the use of a Transmutation Circle, which allows any material within its' borders to be subject the transmutation by an alchemist. In Roy's case, he bears a Transmutation Circle on his trademark Ignition Cloth Gloves. By snapping his fingers on the "unique" material, he creates a spark, which he can then transmutate in order to change oxygen density in the air. This is how Roy creates his explosions or flames from afar.
Boomstick: [snoring]
Wiz: [Wearing Ignition Cloth Gloves, snaps an explosion behind Boomstick]
Boomstick: AH! WHAT THE HELL?! I'M UP!
Wiz: [Annoyed] *Ahem* Anyway, Roy isn't just limited to his gloves to transmutate. Roy is incredibly crafty, and has a particularly sharp mind, like the time he was stripped of his gloves and instead carved a Transmutation Circle on his hand and used a lighter instead to emulate his glove's effect. Actually, the Flame Alchemist isn't just limited to flame, either. While he almost always prefers it, if needed he can in fact utilize normal achemy techniques like his associates do.
Boomstick: What's that supposed to mean? I thought he just did the snappy thing and made things go boom.
Wiz: Remember how Alchemy is based on equivalent exchange? Basically, with a quick hand gesture and contact with a given surface or material, alchemists can manipulate that into basically anything they want, within reason. Like, for example, manipulating concrete into a giant cannon, or constructing a protective barrier from the ground. But, usually, Roy is just fine with his flame alchemy.
Boomstick: Yeah, Roy's a tough sonofabitch. He's been stabbed through multiple times by Lust, and before he even came up with the lighter trick, he burned his wounds closed to stop bleeding.
Wiz: Roy is so incredibly accurate with his flame alchemy, he can ignite the liquid in a target's eyes, causing them to combust instantly. Additionally, he can manipulate his flames so accurately he can ignite a room but leave pockets of circles left untouched to protect his allies. The capabilities of Roy's alchemy are honestly restricted only by how creative and aware he is.
Boomstick: Even without his alchemy, Roy is skilled enough to handle multiple physically enhanced humans at once, and while he's not like, sonic speed, he can react to Bradley and Scar who casually outpace multiple bullets and tank shots.
Wiz: Actually, Bradley is even faster; he can casually deflect bullets, not just dodge them, slice through tank shells mid-shot, can outrun explosions, and casually move faster than the eye can track. Mustang even being able to launch an attack against Bradley, who can slice a steel weapon in half without even giving off the apperance of drawing his sword, speaks volumes for Mustang.
Boomstick: And he's fought the Homunc- Homu- the monster things, more than most people have. Hell, he's outright curbstomped two of em in Lust and Envy, just by snapping his fingers over and over and over and over again.
Wiz: While Mustang isn't solely responsible for Envy's suicide, he basically would have killed Envy if Ed and the others hadn't stepped in, so it's fair to give him the mark against the two Homunculi.
Boomstick: But you can't forget all the stuff Mustang's effortless blown up! Check out this giant boulder... BAM! Gone! How about this huge cannon? BAM!!! Also gone!
Wiz: Don't forget about Kimblee. During the Ishval war, Kimblee was able to produce 157 kilotons of TNT. And yet, Mustang didn't require a Philosopher's Stone to achieve equal or greater results.
Boomstick: Yeah, after all, Mustang is the one who was called the MVP of Ishval. Probably not a title you'd want, but even with a boost, Kimblee couldn't top Mustang's top score. Makes you wonder how this guy can even lose.
Wiz: Well, there is one huge weakness he has: Water. If his gloves are soaked, he can no longer create sparks from snapping, effectively rendering his alchemy useless. And while he's crafty enough to create a makeshift glove replacement from carving his hand and using a lighter, he does require time to do this. Otherwise, he's left vulnerable and is nothing more than a normal human. A tough human, but a human nonetheless. A tough human with a gun, at least.
Boomstick: Well, still... Roy Mustang is not someone who ever gives in, and you can't afford to underestimate the guy for even a second, or else you'll end up as just another one of the many charred corpses he's left behind in his quest for power.
Interlude[]
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set and we've run the data through all possible outcomes.
Boomstick: It's time to find out who would win... a DEATH BATTLE!
Fight[]
Mustang steps down the empty hall, grasping a paper in his hand. On the letter reads a statewide notice to all State Alchemists to remain on lookout for a dangerous red-haired boy wielding a dangerous sword.
Scoffing, the Colonel is about to crumple up the notice and toss it beside when he notices a ginger-haired teenager crossing his path. Both individuals come to a pause in their steps.
“I’m looking for this guy.” Mustang announced, holding up the portrait of the Young Lion’s crudely drawn face. “You know anything about him?”
Roy, taken aback by the confrontation, hesitates. “Whatever is going on here, I assure you, I-“
Mustang ignites the notice, reducing it to ashes as the pieces crumble from his fingers into the air.
“-have no idea what’s going on.”
Mustang smirks. “You’ve got some nerve coming to face me head on, kid. Unfortunately, I’m strapped for time, so I’ll have to make this quick.”
Roy gulps, and begins to reach out. “Wait, I-“
*SNAP*
In an instant, the hallway is lit by the combustion of the intruder, as Mustang stands before with his right palm raised. The flames die quickly, revealing the Young Lion standing in a defensive pose.
“Barely a mark… so you’re one of them, huh? Then, I guess I’ll need to set aside a bit more time to deal with you.” Mustang swipes his arm around, lifting the coattails of his uniform behind him in a rousing energy. The Lycian noble grips his blade.
“Very well then. I didn’t want to cause any harm, but I suppose I have no choice here…”
Seconds after finishing his breath, the lion erupts from his stance, blade flung beside him in a horizontal advancing slash toward Mustang. The Colonel dashes from his position as well, avoiding the swipe from a parallel position.
FIGHT!
Unshaken by the whiffed strike, Roy turns, preparing a swift counterattack. Mustang, within swords length, clenches his fists.
“Interesting sword you’ve got there. Let’s see how you stack up to him!” The Colonel roars. His right fist rockets, hurled by the momentum of his shoulder toward his adversary. Anticipating the sword swing, Mustang leans his body lower, narrowly avoiding the second slash.
Mustang’s fist lands, followed immediately by his left hand’s grasp upon the Lycian’s shoulder. Before the Lord can think, the Colonel smashes his knee into his gut.
“Hngg..!” Roy stumbles back slightly.
“You took that pretty well for a kid. Or at least, I’d have liked to have thought you were just a kid.” Mustang states. He grabs one of his gloves, stretching it further down the bottoms of his palms.
“Don’t underestimate me!” Roy rebounds, a light shining from his person. The Lion swings, narrowly scraping Mustang’s uniform, though tearing it slightly. Within range, Roy smashes Mustang’s shoulder in with the hilt of his blade, illuminating his body once more.
“Some sort of technique?” Mustang thinks to himself. “He seems rejuvenated… so this one can definitely regenerate, too. Great.”
Roy, seeking to maintain his advantage, follows his assault with a flurry of full-arm reaching stabs in rapid succession. The Colonel skillfully weaves past every consecutive stab, inching further back under the lion’s attack.
Noticing his back nearing the wall, Mustang deftly crafts a distractive plot in his mind. As the Binding Blade cleaves through the air, the Colonel stealthily conceals a finger snap from the cover of his coat pockets.
*KR-KOOOOM!*
Before the Binding Blade can lop the Alchemist’s head off, an eruptive blast implodes the hallway’s structure, cratering open the building and revealing the courtyard outside. In the time it takes the Lycian to shake his surprise, Mustang has already fled the hallway.
“Running away…?” Roy questions, cautiously lowering his blade. Stepping out into the open, beyond the blackened rubble, the Lion narrowly reacts to the subtle *SNAP* of his hidden opponent.
A streak of flame ignites through the air, exploding in the rubble entrance.
“A trap?!” Roy gasps. Safe within the barriers of the building, the Lion grips his blade with both hands. “Time to fight fire with fire!”
Leaping from his cover, Roy thrusts the Binding Blade into the air, igniting the metal in a coat of fire. Mustang watches in curiosity from afar.
“Huaah!” Roy roars, swinging the blade down as though hurling the ball of flames toward a target. In a matter of seconds, the airborn flame reaches the ground, igniting into a spire of heat.
Mustang watches from across the courtyard. “If he had guessed right, I’d be dead.” The Colonel deducts. “Another flame user… interesting.” A smirk runs across Mustang’s face.
As Roy raises his blade again, Mustang lies in wait.
*SNAP*
As instant as Roy wills the Blade’s flames, the Lion is overwhelmed by the sudden combustion of the air around him. His skin, beginning to collect ashes from the ignitions, rises in temperature.
“W-what?! Was that his doing?” Roy panics. “He was creating flames by snapping his fingers… so he must be able to manipulate their ignition, even if they aren’t made by him. I’ve got to take out either… hm…”
Arising from the hall for the third time, Roy once again lifts the sealing sword skyward. Mustang, unknowingly abiding by the Lion’s trick, proceeds to snap once more.
/Whooooosh/
With no flames on Roy’s person to instantly activate Mustang’s alchemic ploy, the Lycian Lord evades the ensuing explosion safely, firmly planting himself in the outer courtyard.
“So you’ve figured it out, have you…” Mustang growls.
“I may not be able to rely on my blade’s power, but it’s still as sharp a sword as any. I believe in the skill my teacher and father left me!” Roy counters.
“Let’s see then.” Mustang gestures, taunting the swordsman to come forward.
As quickly as the call is delivered, Mustang’s trick lands a devastating blast – or so he thinks. The lion, anticipating another distraction, anticipates the explosion, and evades the blast.
“I wasn’t sure at first, but now I think I have a good idea how you work.” Roy calmly reveals. Mustang’s brows furrow.
“You may be able to intercept when I use fire from afar-“ Roy starts, leaping a great deal forward toward the hesitant colonel.
“-But when I mix it in –“ A slash, followed by a horizontal cut.
“You can’t anticipate when I’ll do this!” Roy finishes, slamming the Binding Blade’s charged power into the ground.
Mustang’s legs rebound as fast as he possibly can, narrowly escaping the eruptive might of an explosive force even he has rarely seen. Mustang’s temperature rises as well.
“You’re sharper than I thought, kid.” Mustang retorts. “But don’t think I haven’t dealt with the wily kind before either. You’ll end up on your knees before long!”
*SNAP!*
Anticipating another snap, Roy counters with his own catapult of explosive flame. For a moment, the courtyard itself seems ignited with two fiery hearts at its’ core illuminating the facility surrounding it. Beneath the two bodies of pyre, Mustang leaps beside first, and straight toward the Lycian noble.
Roy opens his eyes, bewildered by the sight of the colonel hurtling toward him. Rebounding from the combustive force of Mustang’s explosion, Roy attempts to swing his blade – to no avail. Mustang’s right grip clutches the Lion’s neck, whilst his left fist swats the lion’s sword arm away.
“I’ll do it as many times as it takes.” Mustang threatens. Catching his breath, Roy cannot react as Mustang smashes a leftward strike into the Lion, launching him into the air.
In perfect efficiency, Mustang continues his assault from afar:
*SNAP!*
Mustang closes his eyes briefly, smirks returning to the colonel’s face. “At this rate, I might not have to make excuses to the Gener-“
“Huh?!” Mustang’s eyes open just in time to expand in shock as Roy launches himself through the air, as though he countered the force of the blast to propel himself forward.
“HAAAH!” Roy roars. The Colonel is helpless to evade as the Lion plunges forward, Binding Blade arched forward. Sure enough, the blade finds its’ target: the left eye of Roy Mustang.
“HHNNGHH!” Mustang restrains his cry. The Lion removes the blade as though removing a knife from meat, and finds his footing before crumbling colonel.
“For those I must protect…” Roy triumphantly starts.
“Not here…” Mustang’s mind growls, desperately defiant of assured defeat.
“I WILL NOT…” Roy’s sword, catching fire, begins to charge to a level that Mustang can barely withstand simply being near. With all the might his muscles can muscle, the colonel turns himself from his knees to his back. Eye to eye with the Lion, instants before the impending strike, Mustang pulls his bloodied hands up.
“LOSE..!!!” Roy’s blade, raised, begins to topple downward, crashing though it were a statue finding its’ way to the earth.
*SNAP!*
In an instant, the alchemic reaction reaches its’ near target, compounding the air around the charged Binding Blade. Roy’s being erupts into a catastrophic pillar of flame, the colonel mere inches away from incineration.
“Checkmate, punk!” Mustang lashes. Though blood rushes freely from the left of his face, Mustang rises all the same. As the ashes fall from the Lion’s own blast, Mustang’s outreached hand awaits.
Beneath the pressure of the Binding Blade’s power, Roy’s knees shatter, forcing the Lion to fall upon the support of his hilt.
*SNAP!*
Flames consume the Lion’s body once more. With each successive blast, the Lycian’s armor shatters into blackened dust. As the smoke clears, Roy’s compromised appendages leave him sprawling toward the floor.
*SNAP!*
“HUAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!” Roy finally releases the earth-shattering shriek building within. His eyes, now burnt to a fine crisp, are blind to the relentless man before him, whose sight he stole.
“Give Father my regards, Homunculus.” Mustang growls, before walking away from the flattened Lion.
“F-father… Father… I’m… sorry…” Roy manages to gasp, before his body totally collapses under the chalky weight of his charred skin.
As Mustang walks away, he realizes the blood rushing from his left eye, and covers it. “Father, huh? Looks like I was right...”. The Colonel pauses briefly, then turns to the dying Lion. Closing his remaining eye, the future Fuher snaps one last time.
…
“Just to be sure.” Mustang pulls out his handgun and fires two shots into the corpse before walking away. Deep inside, Mustang curses a thought that passes his mind for a split second. "The war taught me well, huh?"
Results[]
Boomstick: Oh god, that was brutal… and AWESOME!
Wiz: This was a surprisingly hard fight to settle. Both Roy and Mustang wielded enough firepower – no pun intended – to frankly outright obliterate the other.
Boomstick: Right, Roy’s Binding Blade could easily decimate Mustang in one hit if he could land it, and nothing was really stopping Mustang from just snapping over and over and over again from the start until Roy was ashes.
Wiz: Roy could tank some impressive flames, but Mustang’s unlimited source of alchemy meant eventually Roy would succumb. While he can tank them, Roy is far from invulnerable to fire.
Boomstick: Learned that the hard way when I left Roy in range of that mage… stupid same-turn reinforcements.
Wiz: Plus, both were pretty smart fighters and could catch onto the other’s powers. What this fight ultimately came down to was: Who could get around the other’s kill move first?
Boomstick: Turns out, they both have some pretty similar speed feats. Roy was able to beat guys like Rutger, who can move way faster than eyesight. But Mustang also reacted to Bradley, who is in the same boat.
Wiz: But Roy himself isn't exactly as skilled as Rutger or Bradley in combat. He even remarks on his own physical and skill shortcomings, so while Mustang and Roy could fight equally fast opponents, Mustang has already experienced much deadlier opponents who used swords.
Boomstick: But there’s also a huge reason why Mustang wins more often than not: Roy LITERALLY can’t use any of his fire! Well, he can, but like…
Wiz: Consider the nature of Mustang’s alchemy. In order to create the explosions that he uses, he ignites the air around his target by manipulating its’ density. This means that if Roy were to ignite his sword at any given point while Mustang was using his alchemy, he’d just… blow himself up. Regardless of close or long range, since Roy’s long range attack requires he ignite his flame first. While Roy can survive this to start, it essentially cuts off that one hit Roy needed to kill Mustang. It doesn’t matter how absurd the Binding Blade is if Roy can’t even use it on anyone but himself.
Boomstick: But Wiz, doesn't Roy have Aegis and Sol? If he's already tough enough to tank some of Mustang's attacks, and he has ways to halve fire damage and heal, shouldn't he be able to just power through eventually?
Wiz: True, Roy does have some undeniably important advantages here. But with Mustang's top feats overshadowing Kimblee, added with the insane speed and effortlessness that goes into his Alchemy, Roy would still face an uphill battle even with all of his resistances and healing.
Boomstick: Yeah, seriously! Just look at how fast and easily Mustang can overwhelm someone who can take his attacks. Roy might be able to hang in there, but so could Envy, and we all know how he ended up.
Wiz: Still, this fight was incredibly close, hardly an easy win. If Mustang and Roy were to fight this out over say, a hundred times, it's very likely that Mustang would only take 51 of those. A marginal majority, but on Death Battle, we look to see who would win more often than not.
Boomstick: And more often than not, Mustang's Alchemy counters the Binding Blade and barely gives the Colonel the win. Looks like Mustang was able to wrap that up in a… snap.
Wiz: The winner is Colonel Roy Mustang.
Bonus[]
Connections:
- Both are named Roy
- Both primarily utilize fire for their attacks
- Both Mustang and Roy are a part of their respective militaries, with Roy commanding his fathers' troops and Mustang being a Colonel
- Both use a special kind of weapon that produces their flames for them, as neither can innately create fire
