I Can Purify Corruption Through Intimacy in the Apocalypse

“An attack?”

Lynn nodded immediately.

“Yes.”

The urgency in her expression hadn't faded. If anything, it seemed to deepen.

“On the southern side of Temple Vigil. It isn't a major attack yet. There are still people holding them back.” She glanced toward the south, her jaw tightening slightly. “But if we leave it alone, it will become one.”

“Why me?” Lucien asked. “And what are you even doing here?”

Lynn released his shoulders and turned away.

“Walk with me.”

Lucien frowned but fell into step beside her.

As they moved through the plaza, weaving between refugees and temple workers, Lynn kept scanning the surrounding crowds as though searching for someone. Her gaze moved constantly from group to group, never settling for more than a second.

“A number of the personnel assigned to that sector were severely injured,” she said, her expression darkening. “A few were even killed by a Stage 4 Hollow. We think it's a Ravenous-type. It strikes quickly and retreats the moment it's even slightly wounded—an Ambusher-subtype.”

Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.

The description sounded familiar.

“This Hollow...” He glanced at her. “Is it a thin female Hollow that moves on all fours and uses some kind of web manipulation ability?”

Lynn blinked and turned toward him.

“You know it?”

A dry smile tugged at the corner of Lucien's mouth.

“I played a game of chase with it yesterday.”

“…I'm impressed you survived.”

A faint sigh escaped her before she shook her head and continued walking.

“In any case, we managed to drive it off. But several other Stage 3 Hollows—most likely Relational-types that transformed recently—have started trying to enter Temple Vigil.”

Lucien's expression grew more thoughtful as he listened.

As he recalled, Hollows were generally categorized into roughly six major behavioral types.

Occupational and Guardian-types were among the most predictable, tending to remain within specific territories. Most Hollows inhabiting the Southern Ruins and the areas south of the Contested Zone fell into the Occupational category, while the Hollow Knight was a classic example of a Guardian-type.

Relational-types occupied something of a middle ground. They could possess fixed patrol routes or territories, but their behavior was ultimately shaped by the strongest relationships they had held before becoming Hollows. Because of that, they were often drawn toward specific people, locations, or objects connected to their former lives.

Ravenous and Unmade-types, however, were much less predictable.

Ravenous Hollows rarely stayed in one place for long, roaming in search of living prey with little purpose beyond hunting and feeding. Unmade Hollows were different but no less troublesome. They seemed driven by an instinctive urge to destroy, wandering from place to place in search of man-made structures to tear apart.

Then there were Sovereigns. Some remained rooted to a single domain like territorial kings, while others wandered far beyond their claimed lands for reasons nobody seemed to fully understand.

Fortunately, Ravenous and Unmade Hollows were relatively uncommon around the city. Part of the reason was that they were the most aggressively hunted by local forces. Another was that they were comparatively easy to lure and track down. Ravenous-types in particular were naturally drawn to large concentrations of people like moths to a flame, making them far easier to locate and kill than most other Hollows.

“We're short on volunteers,” Lynn said, sidestepping a cart being pushed through the crowd before glancing back at him. “So I want you to help.”

Her tone was direct, but there was an unmistakable note of trust beneath it.

“I know you're a competent assassin, Lucien. In exchange, I'll pay for your Corruption treatment.”

As a Covenant Magic Practitioner, Lucien knew Lynn wasn't allowed to lie.

She was bound by Commandments that functioned similarly to Sýnthesis contracts. Deliberately breaking them carried consequences severe enough that few ever dared try.

Lucien let out a quiet sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

“What exactly do you need me to do?”

There was a chance something might happen before the payment could be made, but Lucien didn't particularly mind helping regardless.

I can use this chance to farm CP points, for example…

Lynn's expression visibly brightened.

“Simple. I just need you to support the front line and help contain—or kill—the Stage 3 Hollows. How you do that is up to you.”

Then her expression became serious again.

“I’m going to find Father Gregorius and bring back reinforcements.”

“That man is here?”

“According to the information I received, yes. Did you see him?”

Lucien shook his head.

“No.”

Gregorius was, for all practical purposes, the man who ran this district. Lucien had crossed paths with him often enough during previous visits.

“I see...” Lynn muttered. “In that case, can you head there now?”

“Sure.”

A relieved smile appeared on her face.

“Thank you. I'm counting on you.”

Lucien waved a hand dismissively, signaling that it wasn't a big deal.

With neither of them willing to waste any more time, they split up and headed in opposite directions.

Following the Processional Way, Lucien made his way south.

Street shrines appeared every thirty meters or so, maintained by refugees who had built small altars to whichever of the accepted deities they followed. The variety of religious symbols visible within a short walk was enough to show just how many different peoples had ended up here. Memorial strips bearing the names of the dead fluttered from pillars and shrine posts, while members of the clergy handed out soup-line markers redeemable a few hours later.

Lucien's gaze swept across the road as he walked.

The Processional Way had always felt like the most hopeful and most heartbreaking place in Vel'Sharim at the same time. People greeted one another here, shared food without being asked, and looked after children who weren't their own. The district's instinct for communal survival was on display everywhere. Perhaps that was why grief felt so visible as well. In the middle of all that warmth, there was nowhere for it to hide.

A few people glanced his way as he passed. Some lingered on his blood red eyes before looking elsewhere. Most paid him little attention. They had long since grown accustomed to Inferni-blooded people, and Lucien himself never cared about the occasional stare in the first place.

After a moment, Lucien quietly looked away and continued south.

The population gradually thinned, the buildings became more damaged, and the ambient Corruption grew steadily thicker with every street he crossed.

After roughly a dozen minutes of walking, he arrived at the Weeping Wall, a thirty-meter section of a former civic building whose surface was covered from the ground floor all the way to the rooftop in the names of the dead. It faced the Contested Zone. At its base, devotees of Nekrómantis, the Reaper of Ends, maintained a small but permanent vigil of candles and offerings.

Instead of approaching the building, he circled around the building and continued toward the Contested Zone.

His eyes occasionally drifted upward, a hint of tension lingering in his expression.

Lynn said the creature had already been driven off, but that doesn't mean it was killed.

Not wanting a repeat of yesterday, Lucien quickly fell back into his usual habits. He stuck close to buildings whenever possible and carefully scanned the surrounding structures for any sign of webbing. If the Spider Hollow was still nearby, he'd rather spot it first than the other way around.

He wasn't ready for another encounter with it yet.

“—Ergónis mótu, ignis voláre!”

The sudden chant echoed through the streets.

Lucien, who had just begun climbing the side of a damaged building to gain a better view of the battlefield, paused mid-step, one hand gripping a cracked window ledge as his brows lifted slightly in interest.

Ergónis?

Moving more quickly now, he pulled himself through a shattered window and into the second floor.

Crossing the dusty room, he approached another window and looked outside.

From there, he could already see Victory Boulevard—the same avenue he had visited during his first trip into the Contested Zone.

The surrounding buildings had once been theaters. Even now, despite the decay and damage, traces of their former grandeur remained visible in their facades.

A dozen meters away, amidst the streets between them, three people were engaged in battle against a group of Hollows that appeared to be former soldiers.

Lucien immediately focused on the group.

A green-robed woman stood at the rear of the group, protected by a red-robed woman positioned in front of her.

Leading the engagement was an orange-robed man who moved through the enemy ranks with practiced efficiency, dispatching Hollows one after another before they could properly coordinate.

From their clothing alone, Lucien could make a reasonable guess about their affiliations. The man in orange and the woman in red were likely followers of Ergónis, while the woman in green almost certainly belonged to Zoḗgennis. Judging from the feminine voice he had heard moments earlier, the red-robed woman had probably been the one chanting.

Ergónis referred to the Prime Mover, one of the twelve major deities of Aethos. Their domains encompassed energy and motion. Many offensive miracles fell under their authority—Fireball, somehow, being one of the most common examples.

They look familiar...

Lucien narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied them from afar.

I think I've seen them before, though I can't be certain from this distance.

At the very least, he could see several bodies lying around them that clearly hadn't belonged to Hollows. The sight made his expression sober slightly before he pushed the thought aside and continued observing the battlefield.

Sweeping his gaze across the surrounding streets, Lucien quickly discovered that several other groups were engaged in separate battles against Hollows as well.

Most of them appeared to be Covenant Magic Practitioners. More specifically, he spotted Illuminators of Aléthris, Flamebearers of Ergónis, Shapers of Morphḗ, and Lifebringers of Zoḗgennis. The first two excelled at offense, while the latter specialized in defense and healing.

At one location, he noticed a pair—a man and a woman—facing four Hollows by themselves. The man served as the primary attacker, wielding a rather large sword. Despite the weapon's size, Lucien could see how fast he was. Each swing flowed smoothly into the next, cutting down enemies before they could fully react. Several Hollow corpses already lay scattered around the area.

They don't look like they need help.

After confirming that, Lucien shifted his attention elsewhere, searching for a location where his assistance might actually be useful. Before he could find one, however, something much closer caught his eye, and his expression immediately darkened into a frown.

What the hell is that?

His gaze settled on a one-story building less than ten meters away. Emerging from the doorway was a young man walking at an entirely normal pace toward the group Lucien had just been observing. He nearly mistook him for a civilian who had wandered into the area by accident. If not for the discoloration of the skin, the unnatural texture, and the subtle distortions shifting beneath the flesh, he probably would have.

A recently turned Hollow? That's not good…

Lucien didn't know exactly what role the cloaked woman played in the pair's combat strategy, but he doubted they could afford to have a Hollow suddenly appear behind them.

While the Hollow looked calm and ordinary for now, they often became violently aggressive when something interfered with whatever pattern they were following. And, of course, like most Hollows, its physical capabilities were almost certainly superior to a normal human.

Quietly shifting his weight forward, Lucien rested his hands near his daggers and kept his gaze fixed on the approaching figure.

If it reached the pair unnoticed, things could become troublesome very quickly.