The tomb passage was dark and oppressive.
The narrow corridor was lined with ancient oil lamps on both sides. Their flames burned hot and bright, flickering wildly as they drove back the icy darkness.
Grandpa Max moved ahead, lighting the lamps one by one with his lighter.
Even so, the temperature remained frighteningly low, as if an air conditioner were blasting somewhere unseen. Chilling drafts swept through the corridor.
"Oh man… this place is creepy to the max!" Ben hugged himself, shivering.
Gwen's face had gone pale. "Next summer, I'm definitely signing up for camp…"
Grandpa Max held a pistol in each hand, his expression grave. "Let's move. Until we get the Sword of Ek Chuaj, we cannot let our guard down."
His voice echoed through the gloomy passage, hollow and distant.
Lucian nodded. "Still, we need to be careful. This tomb isn't simple. There could be traps… or guardians."
Grandpa Max's stern expression softened into a pleased smile. "Lucian's right. That's very thoughtful of him."
He glanced at the other two. "Ben, Gwen, you should learn from your Cuz. Got it?"
"Got it, Grandpa…" the two replied in unison, hanging their heads.
One by one, they continued deeper into the passage, swallowed by darkness.
Grandpa Max led the way, holding the torch high.
Suddenly—
Crack!
A tile beneath his foot sank inward.
Grandpa Max's face changed. "Not good! Run forward, now!"
Ben and Gwen froze for a split second, too stunned to react.
"Move! It's a trap!"
Lucian grabbed both of them and bolted ahead.
Boom!
They had barely taken two steps when a massive stone sphere came crashing down onto the triggered tile.
The sheer weight shattered it instantly. Tiles within a five-meter radius split apart inch by inch, fragments exploding outward in all directions.
Looking back at the deadly boulder, the group felt a lingering chill of fear. After steadying themselves, they pressed on.
About half a minute later, Ben accidentally tripped over a rope lying on the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The wall ahead was riddled with honeycomb-like holes. A torrent of arrows shot out, their icy tips flashing as they streaked straight toward them.
"Not good!" Grandpa Max's pupils shrank.
Lucian slammed his hand onto his watch, and a brilliant green light burst forth.
In the next instant, Diamondhead drove his fist into the ground.
A towering emerald crystal wall erupted upward, blocking every arrow. Metal struck crystal with sharp clangs, sparks flying everywhere.
[Diamondhead: Current Enhancement 25% Crystal Hardness]
A tall, imposing figure stood firmly in front of the others.
Grandpa Max wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That was close. We almost got turned into pincushions."
Gwen lowered her Water Magic.
Ben raised his watch, then slowly let it drop again.
"Let's keep going," Diamondhead said calmly.
As they advanced, they triggered several more traps.
Even with the Mask of Ah Puch, it was impossible to catch every hidden mechanism.
After deflecting another wave of hidden arrows, Gwen lost her footing and fell into a pit, nearly skewered by the spikes at the bottom.
Fortunately, Diamondhead reacted in time, forming a layer of crystal over the spikes to catch the panicked Gwen safely.
Then came the crushing stone walls.
They had been walking normally when the walls on both sides suddenly began sliding inward, threatening to grind them into pulp.
Diamondhead unleashed his strength and shattered both walls head-on, his combat power fierce and overwhelming.
But before anyone could relax, two dragon heads emerged ahead.
Their bodies gleamed gold, majestic and lifelike. Long whiskers framed their faces, and dark crimson eyes burned with violent ferocity.
The massive heads opened their jaws and spewed surging flames. The blazing heat rolled forward, engulfing the group.
Diamondhead stood firm against the fire and charged straight through.
Two razor-sharp crystal longswords flashed.
In an instant, the golden dragon heads were cleaved apart.
After pushing through layer upon layer of deadly obstacles, they finally reached a mysterious hall.
The vast chamber was filled with tables piled high with gold and silver treasures—brilliant diamonds, exquisite jade carvings, even rare night pearls.
Any one of these items, taken outside, would be priceless enough to shake the modern world.
Yet none of that was the most striking sight.
High above the hall hung three enormous murals.
The first depicted a colossal winged serpent, its body covered in feathers like a fusion of bird and snake. It bathed in towering waves, summoning wind and rain.
The second showed a divine monkey wielding a flaming staff. With a sharp, thunder-god-like face and exposed fangs, it battled a demonic lion.
The third was different from the first two.
It portrayed a stark white skeleton draped in black robes, holding a bone staff. A cold, sinister aura radiated from it, symbolizing death and fear.
After a moment of thought, Grandpa Max spoke slowly. "That winged serpent… it should be the Feathered Serpent from Mayan legend."
Gwen stared at the fiery red monkey and murmured, "Then that monkey… could it be the divine monkey Zuko?"
"Exactly. The divine monkey Zuko is also a beast god in Mayan legend, holding a transcendent status just like the Feathered Serpent," Grandpa Max said as he recalled the stories.
Ben scratched his head. "Okay… the first two are beast gods. What about the last one?"
Grandpa Max and Gwen both shook their heads. They had no idea.
Lucian stepped forward and examined it closely.
"This third mural… the pigments are much brighter than the first two. It looks like it was added later…"
For some reason, as he stared at the robed skeleton in the painting, a growing sense of unease crept into Lucian's heart.
The pale skeleton gave him the same feeling as Ghostfreak—cold, eerie, and wicked.
Suddenly, everything changed.
The Feathered Serpent's eyes glowed red. As if truly alive, it burst straight out of the mural.
"Roar!"
It spread its massive wings, whipping up fierce winds as it let out an ancient, drawn-out roar.
Fifteen meters long, its serpentine body bristled with blade-like feathers. With wings on its back and blood energy surging from it, its presence was utterly terrifying.
Everyone's expressions shifted in shock. None of them had expected the beast god in the mural to come to life.
Ben burst out laughing. "Let me handle you, you oversized turkey!"
He slammed down on the Omnitrix.
Thud!
A burst of green light flared, and Heatblast appeared inside the grand hall.
Lucian was about to step in to help.
But from the corner of his eye, he noticed something else.
The second mural was changing too.
The towering divine monkey, its fur blazing red like fire, gripped a massive staff and stepped slowly out of the wall, killing intent rolling off it.
The divine monkey of Mayan legend—Zuko.
"Roar!"
Flames ignited in Zuko's palm and spread along the staff.
In the blink of an eye, it became a blazing fire staff, the heat warping the air around it.
Lucian let out a cold snort and pressed the Omnitrix.
"Chromastone!"