The city of New York was in chaos. Streets that once buzzed with life now echoed with the sounds of destruction—blasts of energy ripping through buildings, cars overturned, and windows shattered as terrified civilians scrambled for safety. Above it all, two figures clashed in the sky, their powers crackling with intensity, lighting up the darkened skyline.

Blue Marvel hovered just above the ground, his deep blue suit glowing with a soft, pulsing energy as he faced his foe, Anti-Man. The air between them shimmered with the raw force of their powers, but the tension in their voices was even more palpable.

"I won't let you do this, Anti-Man!" Blue Marvel's voice cut through the din, filled with desperation and resolve.

Anti-Man, his form dark and imposing, stood atop the remains of a crumbling skyscraper, his hands crackling with negative energy. His face was a mask of fury, twisted by years of pain and a sense of betrayal that had driven him to this point. He looked down at Blue Marvel, eyes burning with a mixture of anger and conviction.

"It's the only way they'll understand! Believe me!" Anti-Man's voice boomed across the battlefield, as his power surged, sending a shockwave through the surrounding area. "The only way!!"

Blue Marvel's heart pounded. This was a man he once knew, perhaps even cared for, now consumed by rage and despair. He reached out, not just with his powers but with a plea from the depths of his soul.

"Please... don't do this. These people have done nothing to you," Blue Marvel implored, his voice softening, hoping to reach the man behind the madness.

Anti-Man's expression twisted further, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Ironic you care for them! But they care for no one, save themselves!" He spat the words like venom, his bitterness palpable.

For a moment, Anti-Man's gaze flickered, a trace of the man he once was visible beneath the anger. But it was fleeting, and the darkness surged back as he raised his arms, gathering a massive ball of negative energy in his hands. "I, on the other hand, will MAKE them care."

With a roar, Anti-Man hurled the massive energy orb towards Blue Marvel, who barely had time to react as the force slammed into him, sending him hurtling backward. Blue Marvel skidded across the ground, barely managing to right himself, only to see Anti-Man lifting a truck with ease, his strength magnified by his rage.

"NO!" Blue Marvel shouted, pushing himself to his feet, but it was too late. With a mighty heave, Anti-Man flung the truck through the air, straight toward Blue Marvel.

Blue Marvel caught the truck and stumbled back a bit.

Blue Marvel darted through the air, his body trailing a shimmering blue energy as he dodged a barrage of negative blasts from Anti-Man. The sky flashed with each impact, lighting up the city in a hellish glow.

"Please, you don't have to do this!" Blue Marvel called out, his voice strained as he narrowly avoided another blast that shattered a nearby building, sending debris raining down onto the street. He whipped around, his hands glowing as he launched a counterattack, a beam of concentrated energy aimed directly at Anti-Man.

But Anti-Man was relentless. He swatted the beam aside with a wave of his hand, absorbing its power into his own. "You're wasting your breath, Blue Marvel!" he shouted, his voice echoing with raw fury. "The world has shown its true colors! People like us are just tools to them—disposable, misunderstood, feared!"

Blue Marvel gritted his teeth, charging forward with a burst of speed, closing the distance between them. "You're wrong!" he cried, slamming into Anti-Man with a force that sent both of them crashing through the side of a skyscraper. They tumbled through floors of concrete and steel, their powers clashing in bursts of energy that shook the building to its foundation.

"I know you're angry, but this isn't the way!" Blue Marvel pleaded as they fought, each word punctuated by a strike, a blast, or a desperate attempt to subdue his friend. "I've felt it too! The fear, the rejection... but we can't let that define us!"

Anti-Man growled, shoving Blue Marvel away with a blast of dark energy that sent him flying across the room. "Define us?" he sneered, following after him with a sudden surge of speed, his eyes blazing. "This world has already defined us! As monsters, freaks, threats! I'm done playing the hero for people who don't care if I live or die!"

Blue Marvel barely had time to react as Anti-Man was upon him again, his blows fueled by years of pent-up rage. Each hit sent shockwaves through Blue Marvel's body, the force of the impacts pushing him further and further back, until he was nearly driven into the ground.

"Listen to yourself!" Blue Marvel gasped, trying to hold his ground as Anti-Man's relentless assault continued. "This isn't you! You used to believe in something better—in a future where we could be more than what they see us as!"

Anti-Man's face twisted into a mask of bitter sorrow, even as his fists pounded against Blue Marvel's defenses. "And look where that got me!" he roared, driving a powerful knee into Blue Marvel's midsection, knocking the wind out of him. "Belief, hope... it's all a lie!"

Blue Marvel staggered, struggling to stay on his feet, but Anti-Man pressed the advantage. He grabbed Blue Marvel by the collar, lifting him off the ground as dark energy crackled around his fists. "You should understand better than anyone, Blue Marvel. We're outcasts. But I've found power in that. Power to change this world!"

With a roar, Anti-Man slammed Blue Marvel into the ground, the impact creating a crater beneath them. Blue Marvel groaned, pain wracking his body, but he refused to give up. Summoning every ounce of strength he had left, he unleashed a pulse of energy that forced Anti-Man to release him, giving him a moment to catch his breath.

The relentless assault continued, and Blue Marvel was barely holding on. Anti-Man's attacks were unyielding, each strike carrying the weight of years of anger and disillusionment. The city around them was crumbling, a stark reflection of the devastation in Anti-Man's soul.

Blue Marvel, battered and bruised, struggled to maintain his defense. Every time he tried to fight back, Anti-Man was there, countering his moves with brutal efficiency. Another crushing blow sent Blue Marvel crashing into the pavement, his energy shield flickering weakly as he lay there, gasping for breath.

Anti-Man stood over him, dark energy swirling ominously around his fists. "You should've stayed down, Blue Marvel. You should've let me end this world of lies and hatred."

Blue Marvel's vision blurred, but he forced himself to rise, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "I... can't... let you... win," he rasped, his voice shaky but resolute. "I won't let you destroy everything... just because you've lost hope."

Anti-Man snarled, raising his hands to deliver the final blow, but in that moment, something changed. Blue Marvel, with the last reserves of his strength, reached out and grabbed Anti-Man's arm, his grip like iron. "No more running," Blue Marvel whispered, his eyes locking onto Anti-Man's with a fierce determination.

With a sudden burst of energy, Blue Marvel surged forward, pushing Anti-Man back, the ground cracking beneath their feet from the sheer force. Anti-Man's eyes widened in surprise as Blue Marvel, drawing on every ounce of power he had left, began to overpower him.

"You're wrong!" Blue Marvel shouted, his voice ringing with clarity as he fought back. "There's still hope! We can be better than this!"

With a final, desperate effort, Blue Marvel gathered his energy and unleashed it in a blinding explosion of light. The shockwave tore through the street, sending cars flying and shattering windows for blocks. Anti-Man's dark energy clashed with Blue Marvel's, the two forces locked in a struggle for dominance.

But then, the unthinkable happened. The building beside them, already weakened by their earlier battle, began to groan and creak ominously. The structure, towering and fragile, could no longer bear the strain of their fight. As the explosion reached its peak, the building collapsed, crumbling like a house of cards.

"No!" Blue Marvel gasped, realizing too late what was happening. He released Anti-Man, trying to pull back, but it was too late. The building came crashing down on top of them both, the ground shaking as tons of steel and concrete rained down.

For a moment, everything was silent. Dust filled the air, and the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then, slowly, from beneath the rubble, a figure began to emerge. Blue Marvel, battered and bloody, pushed his way out from under the debris, his body aching with every movement. His suit was torn, scorched in places, but he was alive. He staggered to his feet, gasping for air, and then something fell from his face—a shattered piece of his mask.

As the dust settled, the people who had watched the battle in horror began to stir, their eyes widening in shock. The figure standing before them, the hero who had fought so valiantly to save them, was not the faceless, invincible symbol they had always believed him to be.

It was Y/N.

His face, bruised and cut, was now fully visible, the remains of his mask hanging loosely from the side of his head.

"Oh bother..."