"The Penance Knights are a special unit of the Vatican city that wear tailor-made armors. The Penance Knights are used in the most perilous tasks and missions where the chances of survival are especially low.
Thus the armor has been designed only to be put on. There is no removing it once one is chosen for the mission. The armor has rows of small spikes that drill into the skin of its wearer. The pain is meant to cleanse the mind for the task at hand and also heighten the fury in the midst of combat.
Because of the nature of the Penance Knights and the Penance Armor, only convicts with life and death sentences are recruited to the unit. The recruits are given one last chance to repent their crimes and atone their sins before the ascended one Alll-mer passes on the final judgement."