The assailants’ protective equipment resisted briefly—Church-provided artifacts operating at Tier 7-8 specifications—but Sequence #3 technique amplified by Rey’s genuine capabilities overwhelmed the defenses within seconds.

All four collapsed, their bodies dissolving into corruption that dispersed before teammates could mount rescue attempts.

"WHAT—?!" the Platinum-rank leader screamed. "That’s not Tier 6! That technique operates at—"

Rey didn’t give him time to complete the analysis.

His Divine-grade armor’s offensive enhancement activated, mystical energy flooding through channels that amplified his next attack beyond normal parameters.

"Chaos Art, Hollow Technique, Sequence #2: Immortal Decay!"

The technique manifested as projectiles of condensed anti-life coherence—dozens of them launching simultaneously toward the remaining eight team members with speed that made dodging effectively impossible.

The Searchers attempted defensive responses, their training evident in coordinated barrier construction and evasive maneuvers.

But they were Gold-rank practitioners facing Sequence #2 technique amplified by Divine-grade artifact.

The power differential was absolute.

Three more died instantly as projectiles penetrated their defenses and triggered catastrophic internal destruction.

Two survived with critical injuries—bleeding from wounds that would kill them within minutes without immediate intervention.

The remaining three, including the Platinum-rank leader, managed partial deflection that reduced the assault to survivable levels.

"Retreat!" the leader commanded desperately. "Emergency beacon! We need Angel support immediately!"

One of the survivors reached for the beacon at her waist—Church-provided emergency device that would summon nearby Angels to their position.

Rey couldn’t allow that.

"Chaos Art, Entropy Technique, Sequence #4: Decaying Surge!"

Corruption energy lanced across the distance between them, striking the woman’s hand before she could activate the beacon. Her entire arm dissolved, the device falling to corrupted ground where it shattered against stone.

She screamed, collapsing from shock and blood loss.

The Platinum-rank leader stared at Rey with expression combining horror and dawning recognition.

"You’re not... you’re not a Hollow Creature," he gasped. "You’re using Chaos Art. Actual techniques, not just plague corruption. Which means..."

Rey ended the conversation with final assault.

"Chaos Art, Hollow Technique, Sequence #3: False Eternity!"

The technique created field of suspended wrongness around all three survivors simultaneously.

Their bodies froze mid-motion as anti-life coherence locked them between existence and nonexistence—unable to move, unable to call for help, unable to do anything except experience their own dissolution over the next several seconds.

They died slowly, awareness persisting until the final moment when their physical forms collapsed into corruption.

Silence returned to the corrupted street.

Rey stood among the bodies—twelve Searchers who’d been alive and competent mere minutes ago, now reduced to dissolving remains that the dungeon’s ambient corruption would erase completely within the hour.

He felt nothing except cold assessment of tactical efficiency.

’Clean execution. Now there are nk survivors to report encounter....’

The Emergency beacon of the enemies had been destroyed before activation. Soon, the Mystical signatures would dissipate naturally, and the investigation would be difficult even if Angels attempted it.

His Ether reserves had depleted again from the sustained high-Sequence combat, but the kills provided partial restoration through absorbed residual energy.

More importantly, his path forward was clear.

Rey resumed his advance toward the fourth boundary layer, leaving the massacre behind without looking back.

***

The fourth boundary layer exceeded even Rey’s enhanced perception’s ability to fully process.

Reality itself was dying here.

Space existed in states that defied description—buildings occupying same location simultaneously while remaining distinct, streets forming closed loops that somehow still led to different destinations, shadows possessing independent existence that made them more real than the objects supposedly casting them.

The ambient corruption was so intense that breathing required active mystical resistance.

His Divine-grade armor provided protection, but even it showed signs of strain from prolonged exposure to wrongness operating at these scales.

And the Hollow Creatures—

Tier 5 was common. Tier 4 appeared regularly.

Even occasional Tier 3 specimens shambled through the twisted architecture with mystical pressure that approached what Pride had wielded.

But they still ignored Rey’s disguised signature, accepting him as fellow corrupted entity rather than prey.

He advanced cautiously, avoiding the strongest specimens while harvesting weaker ones for Ether restoration.

Each kill refined his understanding of anti-life principles. Each hour of exposure to the intense corruption provided insight into how the plague operated at fundamental levels.

’I’m approaching areas where only Angels should venture,’ Rey calculated with satisfaction. ’The Church will have no choice but to recognize exceptional performance when they discover I penetrated this deep independently.’

He moved through what appeared to be former cathedral—not the central cathedral where the Emperor resided, but smaller religious structure that had been transformed into nightmare architecture through plague corruption.

Twisted pews arranged in patterns that hurt to observe. Stained glass windows showing images that shifted when viewed directly. Altar constructed from materials that shouldn’t exist in normal reality.

Rey was examining the altar’s mystical properties when divine light suddenly erupted behind him with intensity that made his disguise flicker momentarily.

BOOOOM!!!

An Angel descended through the cathedral’s ruined ceiling, wings spread in display of power that exceeded what Rey had witnessed from the three who’d fought Pride.

This was elite combatant—armor showing evidence of extensive recent battle, mystical pressure operating at scales suggesting decades or centuries of experience, presence that radiated absolute confidence in his divine authority.

The Angel’s gaze locked onto Rey with expression combining disgust and cold determination.

"Wretched Hollow Creature," he stated, his voice carrying harmonics that made the corrupted architecture groan in rejection. "Your mystical signature suggests Tier 3 classification—one of the Emperor’s six Generals, perhaps? Sloth or Envy based on your positioning in this sector?"

Rey’s mind raced through desperate calculations.

His disguise had been penetrated by close examination from Angel-tier perception.

The entity believed he was one of the Generals—which meant combat was inevitable.

’I can’t defeat an Angel at my current capacity. My Ether reserves are at sixty percent, high-Sequence techniques are on cooldown, and this opponent operates at scales that required three Angels to match Pride.’.

So what should he do?

The Angel raised his hand, divine light coalescing into weapon that radiated purification energy.

"By the authority of the Five Ancients," he declared with finality, "I sentence you to annihilation."