The levels that followed tested them in ways they hadn't anticipated. The eleventh floor forced them to navigate a labyrinth filled with toxic gas that only Billy's enhanced constitution could withstand. The fifteenth presented them with a puzzle involving ancient mechanisms that required Zen's dimensional manipulation to solve.

  By the time they reached the twentieth floor, exhaustion was beginning to set in—not physical fatigue so much as the mental strain of constant vigilance and combat.

  The chamber they entered was unlike any they had seen before. It appeared to be an indoor jungle, complete with towering trees, dense undergrowth, and the sounds of unseen creatures moving in the shadows. Sunlight—or a convincing facsimile—streamed through an illusory canopy above.

  "This is new," Billy murmured, pushing aside a large leaf with the barrel of his Thompson.

  Zen's head tilted slightly, his senses detecting something massive moving toward them. "We have company," he warned.

  The ground trembled beneath their feet. Trees toppled as something enormous pushed through the jungle flora, heading directly for them. When it finally burst into the small clearing where they stood, all three warriors tensed.

  Before them stood a colossus—a golem nearly three stories tall, its body formed from stone, earth, and living plants. Vines wrapped around its limbs like muscles, flowers bloomed across its chest, and its head was crowned with a growth of vibrant moss that resembled hair. Two hollows in its face glowed with amber light, serving as eyes.

  "A jungle golem," Zen identified. "Ancient magic. The plants aren't decoration—they're part of its being."

  The golem raised a massive fist, ready to crush them.

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  "Let me handle this," Aoi said calmly, stepping forward.

  Billy raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? That thing's bigger than the Cerberus."

  "Size isn't everything," Aoi replied, a hint of amusement in his voice as he unsheathed his sledgehammer. "Watch and learn."

  Zen nodded. "Let's see what you've got."

  The golem's fist came crashing down, but Aoi was no longer there. He moved with such speed that he seemed to flicker out of existence, reappearing behind the creature's massive leg. His sledgehammer struck the golem's knee with devastating precision, the impact reverberating through the chamber like thunder.

  Stone cracked and vines tore as the knee joint shattered, green ichor spilling from the wound. The golem let out a sound like grinding boulders—a roar of pain and rage—as it tried to pivot toward its attacker.

  "Its mobility is its weakness," Aoi called out, already moving again. "These constructs rely on balance and momentum."

  He darted between the golem's legs, avoiding a desperate swipe of its hand. With another precisely targeted strike, he destroyed the creature's remaining knee. Unable to support its massive weight, the golem toppled forward, crashing face-first into the ground with enough force to shake the entire chamber.

  Before it could attempt to rise using its arms, Aoi leapt onto its back and raced up toward its head. His sledgehammer rose and fell in a brutal arc, smashing into the back of the golem's skull. Once, twice, three times he struck, each blow more devastating than the last.

  On the fourth impact, the golem's head exploded into fragments of stone and vegetation, the amber light in its eyes flickering and dying. The massive body went limp, the vines and plants that had given it life already beginning to wither and decay.

  Aoi jumped clear, landing lightly beside his companions. Despite the intensity of the battle, his breathing was barely elevated.

  "Impressive," Zen acknowledged. "Your control over your strength is remarkable."

  "Yeah," Billy agreed, holstering his untouched weapons. "Remind me not to piss you off."

  A ghost of a smile touched Aoi's lips. "It's all about identifying structural weaknesses. The biggest targets often have the most obvious vulnerabilities."

  "A philosophy that applies beyond combat," Zen observed thoughtfully as they made their way toward the next staircase.