Heaven’s Forsaken System

Chapter 13: The Fractured Path

The chamber trembled as the dust settled. Shen Liang stood over the rubble, his body screaming in protest. The celestial enforcer, her robes now torn and stained, slowly rose from the shattered wall. Her golden eyes, once indifferent, now burned with something new—acknowledgment, and perhaps, the faintest trace of doubt.

She wiped blood from her lips. "You are more resilient than I anticipated."

Shen Liang rolled his shoulders, forcing his aching limbs to cooperate. "You're not the first to underestimate me. You won't be the last."

The celestial chains, though cracked, reformed in her grasp. Shen Liang felt the abyss within him respond, the tendrils of his Abyssal Grasp curling around his hands, pulsing with dark energy. They stood at an impasse, both warriors measuring their next moves.

[System Notification: Energy Reserves at 47%]

He frowned. The battle had drained him more than he expected. He needed a strategy—one that didn't rely on raw power alone.

The woman exhaled, her voice steady despite the wounds on her body. "You think wielding the abyss makes you powerful. But you do not understand its cost."

Shen Liang smirked, but there was no humor in it. "Then enlighten me."

Without another word, she lunged.

Their second clash was even more intense than the first. The cavern walls cracked further as divine chains met abyssal tendrils in a violent explosion of power. Each blow sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, and the very air vibrated with the collision of two opposing forces.

Shen Liang twisted mid-air, barely dodging a lash of divine energy. He countered with a swipe of his Abyssal Grasp, the tendrils slicing through the chains, but not without consequence. A backlash of celestial force struck him in return, sending him skidding across the stone floor.

[System Alert: Physical Durability at 62%]

He grimaced. The system had always quantified his limits, but it didn't account for the sheer exhaustion clawing at his bones. He couldn't afford a prolonged battle—not like this.

The celestial enforcer pressed forward, weaving intricate symbols in the air. The chains expanded, forming a radiant sigil behind her, glowing with divine intent. Shen Liang felt an overwhelming pressure wash over him.

[Divine Judgment Sequence Initiated – Warning: Lethal Attack Imminent]

His breath caught. He had seconds.

Gathering what remained of his strength, he dove toward the abyss within himself, drawing on the forbidden power he had only begun to comprehend. His body burned with agony as the abyss responded, dark energy coiling around him like a living entity.

"You're strong," Shen Liang admitted. "But I refuse to be chained."

With a roar, he unleashed everything.

Abyss met divinity in a final, cataclysmic explosion.

The cavern floor shattered, and for a moment, reality itself seemed to fracture. Shen Liang's vision blurred as the sheer force of the collision sent him spiraling into darkness.

When he awoke, the celestial enforcer was gone.

[System Notification: Major Battle Complete – Status: Unstable]

Shen Liang exhaled slowly. This was far from over. He had won the battle, but the war against fate had only just begun.