Purification.
A status ailment that can be applied with a Blessed Weapon and Sacred Spell.
The effect is simply one line: “Greatly reduces all damage dealt by the target for the duration.” Unlike the other status ailments that come with all sorts of explanations, that’s it.
At first glance, you might think this “greatly reduces damage dealt” is just a minor nuisance, but simple is best, right?
Even in vanilla, it had a reduction rate of 40%, which is a real pain, but in the Darkest Light Mod, it soared to an unbelievable 90%. It’s safe to say that damage practically doesn’t happen at all.
Whether it’s a physical attack, a magic attack, or even a holy attack, it doesn’t make a difference. It literally reduces all damage dealt.
Moreover, this damage reduction is applied last, after all other damage calculations. So, no matter how much you buff your damage, it gets chopped down by 90% without mercy.
What’s even more malicious is that the player has barely any way to properly utilize this absurd status ailment.
All Blessed Weapons and Sacred Spells fill the Purification gauge, but the speed at which it decreases is horrifying, making it almost useless.
With the fastest attack speed among weapons, a dagger still sees the status ailment number halve during the slightest delay between attacks.
Adding to the frustration, only the player is subject to this penalty. Other enemies using Divine Power just stack their gauge without a hitch.
‘They know that players can abuse Purification to exploit the game.’
But if that’s the case, why create it?
Was it just to piss off the players?
At least in the Darkest Light Mod, any holy attacks that hit you usually result in death before the status ailment gets applied, so as long as you watch out for a few patterns, you won’t have to deal with it.
Not sure if that can really be called a good thing, though.
“What the… how…”
Lize, unaware of the situation, muttered in shock. Erica, who was getting ready to counter the Battle Nun’s attack right next to me, looked equally horrified.
Stella replied with a bright smile.
“Did you think a mere heretic serving a demon could lay a finger on me while the Lord protects me? You’re foolish beyond belief.”
Since the game system has named it “Purification,” players refer to it that way, but NPCs in-game describe the phenomenon as a miracle from the Lord.
Well, since it’s because of Divine Power, it’s not entirely wrong to call it a miracle.
Dropping her flail on the ground, Stella seized Lize’s left wrist. As she applied pressure, Lize’s arm slowly began to be pulled outward. The distance between the dagger and her eyes gradually widened.
The Knight Commander, with more strength than ten regular people, was being easily outmatched. In contrast to Lize, who was trembling, Stella’s expression was relaxed.
This time, the right wrist, which was impaled, was pushed aside. Lize, struggling desperately to free her wrists, twisted her body, but Stella didn’t budge.
“It’s a pointless struggle.”
Stella’s body spun halfway while still holding Lize’s arm. Lize’s feet shot into the air. As her body turned halfway, Stella twisted again.
Lize’s toes pointed to the sky before crashing down to the ground.
“Lize!”
Along with Erica’s desperate scream, Lize slammed into the ground. A thud resounded, and dust kicked up. That was one of the clutch patterns the Inquisitor sometimes used during boss fights.
Cough, cough!
Lize, who had hit the ground on her back, coughed painfully. Since the grip on her arms hadn’t loosened, she couldn’t even do anything but cough.
In reality, if Lize had known about the ability from the beginning, she would never lose to Stella.
She panicked because her attacks were ineffective and allowed herself to be ambushed.
“Erica.”
I discreetly called out to Erica, who had a fearsome expression, about to leap at Stella. The fiery sword of hers paused, and she turned her head towards me.
“Just listen for now. The reason Lize’s attacks aren’t working on that blonde is due to the light you’ve both embraced, not some miracle from the Lord. That light has inflicted a debuff on you.”
Erica’s eyes widened, shocked by the truth. It was a fact she likely hadn’t considered at all.
“So you’re saying I’m in the same boat? Lize and I are wrapped in the same white light after all. No matter how hard I attack that woman now, it won’t matter at all.”
“…So what should we do?”
“Leave it to me.”
Not like I have a real plan or anything.
I told Erica I’d handle it, but honestly, I had no idea what to do.
This was something I had never encountered in the game, much less how to resolve this exact situation.
The Inquisitor declaring me a heretic for taking down a Lord with the help of a demon, and actually coming to the Holy Kingdom to find me—who could have imagined that?
‘What if this messes up the main story too?’
It’s fine if the details are slightly off. But deviating from the main plot? Absolutely not!
Ugh!
“Lize?!”
Lize soared into the air, landing right next to Erica with a thud. Stella had tossed her towards us. Erica rushed over to Lize in a panic.
I wondered why she hadn’t landed properly, and Lize looked utterly dazed. The earlier events had clearly shaken her up.
Erica was desperately trying to help her back on her feet. The battle nuns wielding flails and shields were gradually closing in.
‘Can we skip a fight here?’
Since I had a Vitality Boost Rune equipped, if I were alone, I would have rolled away to avoid being surrounded to look for escape routes.
But right now, I had to look after Claudia, Lize, and Erica. Leaving those three behind while I slipped away wasn’t something I had even considered.
So it made the most sense to devise a way to dodge a fight as much as possible.
I recalled the information about the Inquisitor. Surprising even myself, I maintained a calm demeanor, perhaps because of something I believed in.
That was my Divine Power stat.
With my Divine Power stat raised to 10, the chances of Stella classifying me as a heretic in her judgment were practically zero.
‘…The issue is if they declare me a heretic without going through the judgment.’
If that happened, there would be no option left but to take on Stella directly.
‘I guess I’ll have to give it a shot.’
Running a handful of simulations in my head, I stepped forward, shielding Lize and Erica.
I could hear Lize trying to get up behind me only to be stopped by Erica. I’d previously given her a heads up that I would step in, so she must have thought I had something in mind.
“Why the hell are you stepping forward? Is it that heretics also care for their comrades? Ugh, so disgusting.”
Stella feigned a gag. In contrast to her tone, she still wore a bright smile. If you only looked at her face, she seemed incredibly sweet.
“I’ll say it again; we’re not heretics. Especially not devil worshippers. You’re the only one misunderstanding here, so just turn around and go.”
“Misunderstanding? Me?”
Stella gripped the handle of the heavy flail that was half-buried in the ground. Grind, grind, it started loosening bit by bit.
“How dare you say such shameless words when it comes to safety?”
The battle nuns surrounding us closed the distance further.
Some had already reached Claudia’s side. Claudia attempted to lift her greatsword but couldn’t even get near the hilt, letting out ragged breaths as her arms drooped.
Lize and Erica couldn’t move either. A flail hovered threateningly near Claudia’s head. The meaning behind that action was painfully clear.
“Just one question. What happens if we surrender here?”
“Surrender? Ah, finally grasping your situation, I see. Naturally, we’ll verify your purity and confirm you’re a heretic; we’ll torture you until you repent.”
Stella smiled brightly.
That did it. The mention of purifying confirmed this was about identifying heretics. At least now, I wouldn’t die without even being judged.
“Really? Alright, then I surrender.”
“Delta?!”
“Mr. Delta?!”
As I dropped my blood-stained sword to the ground and declared my surrender, Lize and Erica gasped in surprise. I gave them a look that said it was okay.
Whether it was the meaning in my gaze or not, they both immediately quieted down.
“You’ve given up? Well, great. No need to waste energy, right? Everyone move. We don’t know where the evidence of devil worship could be, so be careful.”
The battle nuns approached and forcefully pinned my arms down, forcing me to kneel. Their grip was so strong it was like an iron vice.
Lize and Erica were disarmed and surrounded, while Claudia only had one nun to keep watch by her side. Was I the main target here?
“Iris.”
“Yes, Inquisitor.”
Stella confidently called over someone. Iris, one of the battle nuns, approached me with a timid demeanor. She also had blonde hair and green eyes, just like Stella.
It didn’t mean much since all the battle nuns had blonde hair and green eyes, but there it was.
Even in this menacing atmosphere where it felt like my head might be smashed with a flail any moment, I kept my composure. After all, there was no way I could die during the purity verification, aka the heretic judgment.
Another rough hand forced my head up. I found myself looking up at Iris from below. Her nun’s outfit revealed far more than it concealed.
Her lower chest and sides were practically out in the open, and I couldn’t help but wonder why the garter belt was even there. Her armpits, the insides of her thighs, and even her butt were clearly visible.
The most absurd part was that even in such attire, it was less revealing than Stella’s. Was there a rule in the Holy Kingdom that you had to show more skin the higher you ranked?
“Start.”
At Stella’s command, Iris placed her gloved hand on her chest covering without hesitation. With her other hand, she grabbed at the rags hiding her genitalia.
‘…What?!’
I couldn’t hide my astonishment at the unexpected strip show unfolding right before me. Iris, the one actually doing the undressing, didn’t show any signs of hesitation.
She began to loosen the hem of her robe, slowly lifting her chest covering. At the end, a small pink protrusion gradually became visible.
I was confused. I was really confused. Is this seriously how heretics are judged? Why?
Be that as it may, Iris had completely pulled aside her chest covering, unveiling her bare chest and secret womanhood right before my eyes.
Silence fell.
Everyone—Stella, who had suggested this absurd act, Iris, who was performing it, and me, the observer—froze in shock.
“…Oh?”
Breaking the silence, Stella’s foolish voice echoed.
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