Deciding on Izumi and Edward as his first targets, Father attempts to draw out their souls into a Philosopher's Stone, but is interrupted when the military joins the fray with the blind Mustang, along with Lt. With a warning from Hawkeye, Mustang rapidly transmutes a wall to defend against Father's counterattack and finds the clapping to be useful. Nina tended to refer to both Edward and Alphonse as "Big Brother" in the Manga and 2009 Anime. While a devastated Hohenheim wandered eastward into the desert, destroying all evidence of his deed, Homunculus traveled west to find the geological center of the world and create a larger nation.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Father's Grand Plan, Explained. It is in this form that Father creates his seven sin Father's fourth form, containing a "miniature sun within his hand".Father's fourth form looks much like a younger version of Hohenheim. At the same time, Van Hohenheim returns to his village and meets both his old friend Pinako Rockbell, who took care of his sons in his absence, and Edward himself. He also needed to perform the ritual during a solar eclipse, to use the crown of light around the sun as a second transmutation circle that would enable him to absorb the Truth itself. Just managing to keep God within his form, Father searches desperately for a soul to make into a Philosopher's Stone and sees the nearby Edward sprawled on a pile of broken concrete and desperately moves to take Fullmetal's soul to replenish his stone supply. He tries to justify his action stating that he was chasing his desire for knowledge. Confined in a flask, calling himself "dwarf in the flask", Homunculus met the slave whose blood gave him life and returned the favor by making him an educated alchemist whom he named Van Hohenheim.

When Ling asserts that he needs Greed's power in order to become Emperor of Xing, Greed claims to accept partnering with the prince for the throne, but knocks him away at the last second, resigning himself to his father's summons. Ling collapses to the ground, restored to complete humanity as the Ouroboros on his hand fades away, while Father howls piteously at his own son's treachery. It is implied that he will remain conscious there to meet his ultimate defeat and suffer for all eternity, with Truth stating that this is a fitting and ultimate punishment for those like him who trample on others to rise and believe themselves to be superior. Alphonse then sacrifices his soul to restore Edward's arm, as he is the only one still able to stand, and a livid Ed pummels Father with a barrage of alchemic attacks and punches that he can no longer block. Now surrounded by Hohenheim, Izumi, Alphonse, and May, Father is asked by Hohenheim the reason why he hates humans by pointing out his origins and the reason that the Homunculi exist is because of Philosopher Stones, which are made from human souls.

Father plans to use the Elric brothers, their master Izumi Curtis and Van Hohenheim for the sacrifice, as they have all seen the Truth and is wondering who could be the fifth (Roy Mustang and Tim Marcoh being the primary choices). Infuriated, Edward (who heard about Father and began to deduce his plan to become a god) engages a fight against Father, backed up by Alphonse and Ling. Father's original aspect, when he was called "Homunculus".Father was the first homunculus ever created, or at least the first that history remembers. Exhausted by all these attacks, Father uses his last strength to blasts all his foes away with a tremendous surge of energy. Known as Father by his children, and as the "Philosopher of the East". Losing sight of his own unique, supreme, and special gifts and talents, Homunculus lost much of his self-confidence, and this low self-esteem caused him to fill himself up with hubris and a desire to become a being superior to even God himself.