Now we're in the tower moving toward the showdown with Rufus and Black Alberich. When we reach the top, Alisa and Jusis insist on coming along for the next part, naturally. Rufus is introduced as the primary member of the Ironbloods, not a Knight of Blood and Iron. Alberich says that the Ashen Awakener is the only thing they require for the next Rivalry because the Sword of the End still has a role to play. He's also disappointed Campanella and Maria didn't use their Aion to take any of us out, but Rufus says Ouroboros has their own goals, so they can't expect them to be fully invested in Osborne's plans. Alberich says they may have no use for Ouroboros anymore anyway.
Then Jusis decides to call out Rufus for his dishonorable behavior in killing off Arianrhod. He replies that he had a war to manage, so he was simply picking the most efficient course of action. He also expresses his gladness in being able to meet Millium again, even as just a projection from the Sword of the End. Black Alberich seems to think that the Auric Knight can defeat the Ebon Knight if it takes the Sword of the End from Valimar. He says that the Divine Knights were not created equal. There is a hierarchy among them that was established in all the battles they've fought throughout history. Only the Ebon Knight didn't participate in all these duels.
Alberich also says that a Divine Knight will regenerate over time, even if it's destroyed, which is basically what I figured. On the other hand, their Awakeners often end up as undead Nosferatu, which I did not expect. He harkens back to the blade graveyard we saw at the end of CS1, and he says each sword marked the defeat of a Divine Knight. Alberich says that the two Divine Knights that emerged victorious more often than all the others were the Argent Knight and the Auric Knight, followed by the Vermillion Knight, with the Azure, Palatinate, and Ashen Knights trailing the pack. I guess that would explain why Rufus prioritized getting the Argent Knight's power.
Then Alberich says Rean made a mistake in not fully absorbing the Azure Knight because Valimar can't make full use of the other Divine Knights' powers. However, Class VII bands together to give Alberich the classic "you suck" speech. Basically, to sum it up, he underestimated the potential and the value of humanity, even when it came to creating the homunculi. If the Ebon Knight wins and enslaves the world to its will, then life becomes completely meaningless. Surprisingly, Rufus agrees with us, and he says he has no plans to be anyone's slave either.
Rufus pulls out his Holy Sword, and Jusis does the same. Alisa says that she still believes in the love Franz had for her and her mother, and she actually seems to be getting through to him. However, he doubles down on swearing his allegiance to Ishmelga. Then Rufus says this is the last duel he and Jusis will have before he transcends humanity. Not exactly sure what he means, but Jusis is pretty darn ticked by it. The fight here isn't too tough, but I gotta give a shoutout to Alberich's S-Craft because that thing was creepy as heck.
After the fight, Black Alberich briefly reverts to Franz Reinford, and then flees the scene to leave us to face off with the Auric Knight, who also has a couple of lame Zauber Soldats to back him up. Turns out Rufus's goal is to absorb the power of all the other Divine Knights and then become an Immortal before facing off with Osborne. He wants to give his life its own meaning as someone who was unwanted. The Auric Knight puts up a good fight, but it eventually goes down like all the others.
Rufus can't understand why he lost. Jusis says it's because he refused to rely on anyone but himself. Millium says there are people he COULD have relied on, but he chose to go it alone. He had a real bond with Jusis, but even then, Rufus shut him out. Sara drives the dagger home by saying his approach is the polar opposite of Olivert's. Rufus says at least he can be proud he had a part in the formation of Class VII. He tells them that a path to the core of the fortress will open next, and McBurn will be waiting for them. Jusis tells Rufus they'll take things from here, but he needs to knock some sense back into him first and literally does just that.
Back in the garden, the elevator leading to the core is active now. Emma insists on being part of the battle against McBurn. Rean wonders if there's some history there, but Celine tells him to focus on just taking him down for now. Valimar actually expresses some worry about facing McBurn since he can't figure out the source of his powers. With that, it's time to move on to the core.
