The reason why Hohenheim was kept around for so long is to block the blast for Ed.
Summary:
Underground, Greed and Ran Fan join up with Alex Armstrong's group. On Greed's recommendation, Olivier, Jerso, Sig, and the other Brigg soldiers stay behind while the others head up towards the surface. After Alex's group leaves, Olivier sits down near Wrath's body after remembering that Buccaneer had helped soften up Wrath. Nearby, Scar faints due to his injuries.
On the surface, most of Central HQ has been blown away by Father. May wakes up and discovers that Al had shielded her from the blast, while Ed and Izumi discover that Hohenheim had blocked the blast for them. Father appears and tosses Hohenheim away to go after Ed and Izumi, but he is interrupted by gunfire from Brigg soldiers. While Father is held back by the attacks, Ed, Izumi, and Hohenheim are carried away by soldiers led by Lt. Henschel. The attacks from the soldiers appear ineffective against Father's defenses, but soon Mustang and the others from underground join the fray. Mustang (with Riza serving as his eyes and using clapping transmutations), Alex, Ran Fan, Zampano, Darius, Izumi, and the Brigg soldiers combine their efforts, but they are unable to penetrate Father's defense. Greed also joins in but he is snared by Father who wants to absorb Greed's Philosopher's Stone. However, this falls right into Greed's plans as Father's back is left open for Ed. Father blocks Ed's punch with alchemy and destroys Ed's automail arm, but he is forced to block Ed's kick with his arm. All of the previous attacks have worn Father down and now he can't control his powers, and as a result Father releases a big shockwave that sends everyone sprawling.
After the shockwave, Father desperately tries to find souls to use as energy, and he sets his eyes on Ed whose arm is pinned to a wall by a piece of rebar. Seeing Ed in trouble but unable to walk on his own, Al tells May to help him with a transmutation. May uses her daggers to make transmutation circles around Al and near Ed's missing arm, and Al transmutes himself despite Ed's protests. Al is immediately sent to the Gate of Truth to rejoin his real body. Afterwards, Al is met by Truth who wonders if Ed will come back for Al. Al believes that Ed will come back for him, and Truth wonders what Ed will sacrifice next time as the right arm he received from Ed fades away.
Back in the real world, Ed has his real right arm back again. Ed quickly frees himself and pummels Father with a variety of attacks while everyone else cheers him on. From the sidelines, Greed watches the fight and realizes that all he wanted was to have friends like Ed and the others.
Funny that Ed now favors his left hand now that he has his real right hand back.
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If you are wondering why I'm writing a summary for a three week old chapter, I'm doing it so that I don't have write the summary for the corresponding FMA:B episode (which I still have to catch up on). Anyways, it was another big 70 page chapter last month. The progress of the battle still stuck to the predictable routes with Hohenheim sacrificing himself to protect Ed and Mustang returning with Riza as his eyes, but the chapter was still exciting. However, I thought the part where Al traded himself for Ed's missing arm was kind of dumb. Al must be delirious after blocking Father's blast. There were a ton of better things to do than Al having to trade his soul. With the state Father was in, May could have easily sent him flying with a giant alchemy fist or something. That is not to mention that there were tons of other friendlies around. I suppose the story has set things up so that Ed finishes the job and goes to the Gate of Truth, but this wasn't the best way to do it. A commenter pointed out that apparently Al was dying because a crack was running through his blood seal, so I guess it made sense for him to transmute himself. Still, the transmutation feels a little tacked-on.
The chapter ends with everyone else standing around cheering Ed on while Ed fights Father mano a mano. It seems that all the supporting characters know that they should leave the spotlight to the main character at the end. Sarcastic comments aside, FMA has come a long way and this final battle and possibly the manga itself will end next chapter. Ed will definitely win and somehow end up back in front of the Gate, but the question is what will he do? For a really happy ending, Ed can transmute Father to trade back his leg and Al and maybe even Mustang's eyes, but I don't know if FMA will end that happily.
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