What do the purple gems under my heath bar mean?

Underneath my health bar, there are 8 slots for glowing purple gems. These gem slots seem to fill up during battle when I defeat enemies, but I’m not sure what they’re used for.

What do the glowing purple gems beneath my health bar do?

Health bar from Bayonetta


Solution 1:

That's your all-purpose Magic Meter. A full Magic Meter allows you to do a Torture Attack by hitting the punch and kick button simultaneously, which executes a QTE that can do exceptional damage to one enemy and keep other enemies from attacking you. Magic is also used up during some special combo moves and accessories.