MARVEL: TOAA

"Hahaha, it's been ages since someone could actually make me feel pain!"

Sebastian Shaw emerged from the wreckage, brushing aside broken wooden stakes. He stood tall, his wounds already healed, with blood no longer seeping from the arm Thor's hammer had broken just moments before.

With a deep growl, he ripped apart his tattered shirt, exposing a chiseled physique. His lion-like chest hair and rippling muscles projected an air of primal dominance.

"You dare challenge my authority? All you filthy primates will pay for this offense in hell!"

Sebastian's rage was volcanic, his focus singular: crush these strange, talking apes who dared stand against him.

With a resounding boom, he kicked off the ground. The sheer force left a smoking crater behind as he rocketed toward Thor Ape, his speed almost too fast for the eye to follow.

Thor Ape's eyes widened. "Impossible!"

Sebastian's fist connected with the ape's cheek, sending him hurtling backward like a cannonball. The impact was so fierce that Thor Ape collided with the massive mechanical ape behind him, cracking one of its towering metal limbs.

"He's… absurdly strong," muttered Reina, watching in awe as dust and debris settled from Sebastian's movements.

The sonic booms and smoke created by Sebastian's attacks matched the speed of his strikes—a testament to his immense power. For the first time, Reina realized how fortunate she'd been that Sebastian had held back when Magneto used her to attack him earlier.

Thor Ape spat out blood, his eyes blazing with fury. "You miserable mortal! You've angered me. Prepare to face the wrath of a god!"

Crackling with lightning, Thor Ape charged, his hammer glowing with divine power.

CLANG!

Sebastian intercepted the hammer with his bare hands. Though the impact rattled his entire body, he held firm, absorbing some of the kinetic energy. However, he couldn't absorb it all—the residual force sent him skidding backward, his feet carving deep grooves into the ground.

"This hammer is fascinating," Sebastian mused with a grin. "So, you're not the God of Thunder—you're the God of Hammers?"

Reina couldn't suppress a giggle at Sebastian's quip.

"John!" Ravion hissed, annoyed. "How can you laugh at a time like this?"

John wiped a tear from his eye. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. But seriously, Ravion, I can sense something massive looming above us. Can you manipulate Thor's hammer? It's metal, after all."

Ravion narrowed his eyes at the battlefield. "It's enchanted with magical runes. I can disrupt it slightly, but I can't fully control it."

"That'll have to do."

Suddenly, Iron Mandrill's voice echoed from above. "Hey, kid, what are you scheming? Care to share with the class?"

John shot him a sly smile. "We're discussing strategy, of course. Uh… Mr. Iron Monkey, could you give us a moment?"

"I am Iron Mandrill, not some Iron Monkey!"

"Right, right. Mr. Mandrill, how about letting us go, just this once?"

The insult struck a nerve. The Iron Mandrill's metallic wings flared as his temper flared.

"Kill them all!" he roared.

At his command, the ape Avengers—dressed in a chaotic mix of familiar and bizarre outfits—charged toward John's group. Among them was a Black Panther-inspired ape, its claws gleaming menacingly.

"Ravion, cover Reina!" John shouted, already moving to intercept the oncoming apes.

The battle was chaotic. Ravion's combat prowess was unparalleled; his strikes were precise and devastating, easily keeping most of the attackers at bay. John, on the other hand, struggled.

Despite the divine enhancements to his body, he lacked proper combat training, making it difficult to hold his own against the ferocity of the ape Avengers.

Suddenly, an agile ape broke through their defenses, lunging at John with a dagger.

"Gotcha!"

The blade plunged into John's side.

"Agh!"

The pain was searing, but John gritted his teeth.

"John!" Reina cried out, instinctively raising her hand. A surge of wind burst forth, hurling the attacker backward.

"I'm fine," John reassured her, pulling the dagger from his wound. As he did, the injury began to heal rapidly before Reina's astonished eyes.

"See? Just a bit of pain. You, on the other hand, shouldn't strain yourself. Let Ravion and me handle this."

Reina nodded hesitantly. Though injured, she refused to back down completely. Her combat abilities weren't to be underestimated—she'd trained rigorously under Ravion and had awakened formidable powers of her own.

Meanwhile, the White Queen and the Red Devil weren't faring as well.

The suppression field neutralized Emma Frost's telepathic abilities, leaving her reliant on her diamond form. While nearly invulnerable in this state, her lack of combat skills made her an easy target, forcing her into a purely defensive stance.

The Red Devil, severely weakened after losing an arm and his teleportation powers, relied on brute strength and experience. His prehensile tail was a lethal weapon, skewering several attackers, but his stamina was dwindling.

As the battle raged, Sebastian faced Thor Ape once more.

"You're tough," Thor Ape admitted, his hammer crackling with power.

Sebastian grinned, his blood boiling with adrenaline. "You have no idea."

Thor Ape lunged, his hammer swinging with devastating force. But this time, Sebastian was ready. His mutant ability flared, absorbing the kinetic energy and redirecting it back at Thor Ape in an explosive counterattack.

The ape Avengers froze, momentarily stunned by the display of power.

"Enough games," John muttered. He turned to Ravion. "We need to regroup and take out Iron Mandrill. Cut off the head, and the body will fall."

Ravion nodded. "Agreed. Let's finish this."