The small chamber was semi-rounded, its walls covered in gray stone resembling aged limestone. The floor was made of the same material, cold and slightly damp underfoot. At the far end stood a pedestal—rough-hewn but steady—crafted from the same stone, and resting atop it was a small mask.
It was made of the same material as the floor and pedestal, pale and worn, but it held an uncanny weight in the air around it. Both JoJo and Diego approached.
Diego crouched beside it, wary and sharp-eyed, while Joseph stood frozen, his gaze locked onto the mask—his expression tense, almost shaken.
It was unmistakable.
The mask looked exactly like the stone masks from his world—the ones capable of turning men into monsters. Vampires.
"You good, Mr. Joestar?" Diego asked, side-eying him with a hint of concern.
"Erm... yeah. Nah, I'm okay, kid. It's just... that mask looks familiar. Real familiar." JoJo stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. "Wait. Let me test something."
He raised his left arm—his stump—and let a few drops of congealed blood drip from it onto the surface of the mask.
The blood touched it... and vanished, absorbed into the stone.
But nothing happened.
No shifting of the mask, no spikes extending from its back meant to pierce the skull. No reaction. Just silence.
"You satisfied?" Diego muttered, kneeling beside the pedestal again. He carefully examined the base and the mask, checking for any signs of traps or triggers.
After a few moments of tense silence and cautious prodding, Diego stood up and motioned for JoJo to head toward the entrance.
Joseph nodded and slowly backed away.
In one smooth motion, Diego grabbed the mask and took a quick step back.
Nothing.
No reaction. No trap sprung.
"Guess the booby trap ain't so boobied, huh?" Diego smirked.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a low rumble rolled through the chamber.
The floor next to the pedestal collapsed, stone and dirt caving in.
"Shit!" JoJo shouted, lunging forward and grabbing Diego just as he stumbled. Diego clung to Joseph's back as the ground fell away beneath them.
JoJo grabbed onto the solid edge of the earth next to the collapsing chamber. With a grunt and a sharp focus, he channeled Hamon through his muscles and bones, forcing his arm to extend—farther than humanly possible, every fiber screaming as energy surged through him.
Diego scrambled along his extended arm, letting the Hamon flow through his limbs, solidifying the soil just enough to grip. Vibrations ran through the soft earth, allowing him to pull himself up.
With Diego secure, Joseph used the leverage to swing himself in a wide, semi-circular arc, launching both of them upward with a final heave.
They landed hard on the surface—on still-shaking ground—as the chamber below them caved in completely, devoured by darkness.
Diego slid off Joseph's muscular arm and stood up, swaying slightly.
"Shit... the ground's collapsing," he stammered.
"Well—" JoJo grinned, already turning heel, "—I guess it's time to use the secret Joestar family technique..."
"RUN!!"
And with that, Joseph took off in a full sprint, Diego stumbling for a second before taking off alongside him, feet pounding the quaking ground.
Behind them, the earth fell away in chunks, collapsing, roaring as the ancient trap finally finished its course.
They didn't look back.
They ran for their lives.