We're in the core of the Empyreal Fortress now. The aesthetic is a lot darker and more demonic now, which I dig. It's almost like a Persona dungeon. Even the random encounters here are Persona-esque! Before we reach where McBurn is, Emma says that his power is governed by the Divergent Laws, whatever that means. The game tells me that it will make an exception and allow me to summon Panzer Soldats in the battle against McBurn.
When we reach him, he's already in his Blazing Demon form. Rean calls back to a conversation he had with McBurn during CS2 where he had asked Rean if he was "mixed" and talked about those who have something foreign or unnatural mixed into their bodies. Rean finally understands that the part of him that was "mixed" is Osborne's heart since it's the source of his power and what connected him to the curse. Then Rean says that McBurn isn't even from this world at all, which surprises everyone but Emma and Celine.
Gaius says they were all raised to believe this was the one true world created by Aidios. They can't even contemplate the idea that something exists beyond the bounds of Zemuria. Wait, I thought Zemuria was just the continent, not the world itself? Or is the world just one big landmass like Pangaea? Anyway, Emma says this is an example of the Divergent Laws, which relate to things they can't understand or explain. As an example, she says that no matter how far you try to sail or fly away from the continent, you're literally unable to progress past a certain point. Huh, that's wild. Alisa says this phenomenon supposedly verifies the existence of Aidios, but I'm not sure how!
Oh, I see what she's saying. Anything they don't understand is simply attributed to be the work of a higher power, end of story. Gaius says that the church's stance is to leave things be as long as it's not disrupting the world order. However, the mages and witches of the Middle Ages weren't content with that, so they surmised there must be something else behind all the mysterious events that have occurred throughout history. This is where the concept of Divergent Laws comes from. Sometimes things from beyond this world make it into Zemuria, which screws up the natural order. I guess this would be stuff like Artifacts and the Sept-Terrions. Maybe that's why Ouroboros wants to observe what happens when humans take control of them.
For Sara, the first thing she thinks of is the Salt Pale in North Ambria 28 years ago. There was no evidence it was related to a Sept-Terrion. Gaius says Father Barkhorn investigated it, but there was nothing conclusive about what it was or where it came from, so it was just attributed to Aidios. This kind of stuff gave rise to the D:G Cult, which became obsessed with figuring out the truth behind the supernatural phenomena that appeared in Zemuria by any means necessary. Alisa says they were being controlled by the Crois family the whole time, which would feel like a huge Azure spoiler if I didn't already figure as much...!
McBurn says that the cultists did manage to pull off something amazing by creating Gnosis, which was a drug that freed you from the limitations of this world. McBurn says he's half human, half whatever this creature from the other world is, but he doesn't know a thing about what this other world is like. He doesn't remember anything from before his two halves permanently fused together. Gaius says McBurn is basically a calamity given form, like the Salt Pale.
McBurn says he's existed in this world for 50 years, and he's spent the whole time trying to remember anything about who he is or where he came from. He knew he'd have to return to his original form to do that, but it would annihilate everything around him in the process. However, the Great Twilight and the Rivalries have warped the world so much that he should be able to manage it, and sure enough, he does. He still doesn't have his memories though, so he wants us to fight him and keep drawing more out of him.
Gotta say, it's kind of annoying that every boss seems to hit the halfway point right before they break, and then it completely restores their meter. I guess I should be using break-boosting Brave Orders! That being said, Millium's Brave Order that reduces damage by 90% comes in real handy for McBurn's S-Craft! I do eventually manage to break him though. When he gets down to 1 HP, he puts up some sort of barrier that blocks all damage, so Valimar asks Rean to summon him. I actually have to use the craft form to do so. I was expecting a transition to a Divine Knight battle there!
After the battle, McBurn seems to remember something, and he realizes Campanella's been playing him the whole time. He also says the name Ouroboros is the perfect name for their organization before reverting to his human form. Then he...apologizes to us, which shocks me as much as it shocks all of Class VII! And then he...smiles, whoa. He says he's got a new objective now. He's got a few questions for Campanella, the Grandmaster, Mariabell, and Vita. As a show that he's truly sorry, McBurn gives Rean a Primordial Flame to further power up himself as well as Valimar, who refers to him as Overlord of the Beyond. McBurn warns us that it can probably only use it once.
I gotta admit, that wasn't the way I expected McBurn's character arc to end, but I kinda dig it. Also, all this multiverse stuff is probably going to be dealt with in the Calvard arc, but man, it's pretty crazy how they've basically totally changed the arc of the story going forward. This series always keeps you on your toes, that's for sure. Anyway, we've got to put all this to the side for now because it's finally time to face Osborne.
Before that, there's some new dialogue in the garden. Gaius apologizes for keeping this stuff secret from everyone and says he's had to change his worldview many times since becoming a Dominion. The Septian Church has been portrayed as mostly good up to this point. This is the first substantive negative strike against them. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later! Still, there are a lot of good guys working with them and for them, so I don't know that it'll turn out to be pure evil in the end. When talking to Emma, Rean recalls something Vita said at the end of CS2 about "the way this world is" when referring to how the Rivalries inevitably are forgotten and then repeat themselves over and over again.
That's all for tonight. Barring an eternal epilogue like CS2, who knows, I might actually finish this game tomorrow...!
