Heaven’s Forsaken System

Chapter 15: Abysswalker's Descent

Shen Liang stood at the threshold of his rebirth. The cavern around him was still, yet he could feel the abyss coiling beneath his skin, more alive than ever. The power that had once threatened to consume him now bent to his will, and with it came a new awareness—one that stretched beyond the physical world.

[System Notification: Title Acquired – Abysswalker]

He flexed his fingers, watching the tendrils of darkness that curled and twisted with his breath. This was no longer the abyss attempting to consume him. This was his power to wield.

But power invited consequence.

A presence stirred beyond the cavern, a ripple in the fabric of fate. He turned, sensing it—a force neither celestial nor abyssal, but something… in between.

A new trial awaited.

The weight of his awakening settled on him, heavy yet intoxicating. The world outside the cavern awaited his next step, but before he could move, a voice—low, resonant, and impossibly old—echoed in his mind.

"You have taken from the abyss. Now the abyss will take from you."

Shen Liang tensed, his instincts flaring. The darkness around him thickened, no longer just an extension of his will but something autonomous, watching.

[System Alert: Abyssal Synchronization Unstable – Anomaly Detected]

A low growl reverberated through the cavern as the shadows coalesced into a form. At first, it was indistinct—an amalgamation of writhing darkness. Then, it took shape.

Himself.

Or rather, something that wore his face.

Shen Liang stared at his abyssal reflection. Its eyes, unlike his own, were voids of infinite depth, absorbing all light. It took a step forward, and when it spoke, it was his voice, twisted and hollow.

"You are not yet whole."

He had no time to react before it lunged.

Their battle was silent, yet the impact shook the cavern. Shen Liang barely had time to raise his defenses before his abyssal doppelgänger's fist crashed into his ribs, sending him sprawling across the stone floor. Pain flared through his body—not just physical, but something deeper, as if his very essence had been struck.

[System Warning: Energy Levels Dropping – 72%]

He gritted his teeth. He had fought enemies far stronger than himself before, but this was different. This was not an external force. This was him.

His shadow self gave him no respite, closing the distance with terrifying speed. A tendril of darkness lashed out, wrapping around Shen Liang's arm. He twisted, summoning Abyssal Grasp, and the two forces met in a violent clash of black flames.

[System Alert: Abyssal Resonance Increasing]

The realization hit him like a thunderclap—this wasn't an enemy to be defeated by strength alone. It was a test.

He had to master it.

Shen Liang exhaled, steadying himself. Instead of resisting, he let go, allowing the abyss to flood through him. The tendrils that sought to bind him hesitated. The shadow's expression shifted, its endless void-eyes narrowing.

For the first time, it spoke again—not as an enemy, but as an instructor.

"You fear becoming what you cannot control."

Shen Liang clenched his fists. "I fear nothing."

The shadow tilted its head. "Then prove it."

It rushed him again, faster this time, but Shen Liang didn't meet its attack with brute force. Instead, he stepped into it. He let the abyssal energy flow through him instead of resisting, and when their bodies met, the world around him changed.

Shen Liang was no longer in the cavern. He stood in a vast, endless void, where time had no meaning. In the distance, a single throne sat upon a platform of black stone. On it, the shadow version of himself waited, watching.

"Sit," it commanded.

Shen Liang hesitated. This was a trick, some kind of manipulation. But he had learned one truth about the abyss—it did not lie. It only revealed.

Slowly, he approached and took his place on the throne.

A rush of energy exploded through him, and suddenly, he understood. This was not a battle for dominance—it was an ascension.

[System Notification: Abyssal Synchronization Complete – New Ability Acquired: Abyssal Dominion]

The shadow before him dissolved, and when Shen Liang opened his eyes, he was back in the cavern, kneeling on the stone floor.

But now, he was different. He had not conquered the abyss.

He had become it.

The cavern trembled, and somewhere in the world beyond, those who watched the balance of power felt the shift.

Shen Liang had stepped beyond mortality.

And the heavens would tremble for it.