Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 69 - The Awakening of the True King

Chapter 69 - The Awakening of the True King

Steadying his thundering heart, Jhin opened his sharp eyes wide.

Through his gaze, the figures of Lykan and the impostor were vividly clear.

’This is the only chance I’ll get.’

Of course, he still couldn’t truly defeat Lykan—not yet. Even if Millie joined with her Burn Blood skill, it would be nearly impossible to take down a D-rank boss monster—the strongest of their class.

’If we have to defeat Nuada, it has to be now.’

Avoiding the brutal arc of the descending club, Jhin leapt aside and swept his eyes across the battlefield.

There, scattered across the floor—he spotted something.

[You have acquired the item ’Spectral Wailing ghost’s Scythe’.]

[The wail of the specter has been imbued.]

The scythe was enormous—its blade alone was more than three meters across, far larger than Jhin himself.

It was heavy, almost oppressively so.

Even lifting it, much less swinging it, was a tremendous feat.

The impostor let out a derisive snort.

"You think grabbing the Wailing ghost’s weapon will let you win?!"

KUUUUUNG!

The club came crashing down faster than he could dodge.

Jhin braced the scythe against the impact to soften the blow—but it was no use.

BOOM!

He was hurled across the boss room, smashing hard into a wall.

Monster...

It wasn’t just the natural strength of a D-rank boss. Lykan’s might had been enhanced—boosted to monstrous levels by the powerful gear the Company had armed him with.

He wasn’t just a tough opponent.

He was something far beyond.

"Kh..."

Blood stained Jhin ’s lips, but he wiped it away and grasped the scythe again.

Lykan was charging at him now, like an enraged bull. If he took a direct hit again, it would be fatal—but that was fine.

He hadn’t intended a long, drawn-out battle anyway.

This was a fight that would be decided quickly—or not at all.

"...Now!"

Suddenly, Millie’s pistol fired, rounds exploding like fireworks around Lykan.

The bright blasts drew Lykan’s attention, causing a crucial moment of distraction.

At the same time, Pete muttered something under his breath—and the impostor’s body lurched.

A confused shout escaped the impostor’s lips.

"W-what the hell?! Why can’t I control my body?!"

He stumbled—straight into the path between Jhin and Lykan.

The giant club, mid-swing, hesitated and faltered.

The moment had come.

The impostor, teeth bared in rage, snarled:

"What are you doing, you worthless goblin! Kill him already!!"

Jhin seized the opportunity.

He dashed forward into Lykan’s range, aiming carefully, and swung the scythe vertically.

WHOOOOOSH!

The Wailing ghost’s scythe sliced through the air.

At a glance, it looked like a clean miss—nothing but air.

The impostor jeered immediately.

"Where the hell were you aiming, you moron?!"

But Jhin didn’t hesitate.

He immediately threw the scythe aside and leapt back without even glancing at the impostor’s sneering face.

Because it didn’t matter.

The plan had already succeeded.

His golden eyes flared with power, tracking the swirling flows of Power and spirit in the air.

And there it was—the glowing link connecting the impostor’s soul to Lykan’s.

Where his scythe had passed, the chain was now cracked—ready to break.

’Weakened.’

The battle with the Wailing ghost had left Lykan’s spirit vulnerable.

The Wailing ghost’s scythe wasn’t just a physical weapon—it attacked the soul itself.

’And we seized the Goblin Crown too.’

Acquiring the Goblin Crown had been an unexpected bonus—but one that made their plan ironclad.

With it, they could fully sever the impostor’s hold over Lykan and the other goblins.

And now—

CRACK!

The weakened link between Lykan and the impostor shattered.

The chain connecting them disintegrated into glittering fragments.

The impostor, still clueless, screamed:

"What the hell are you doing?! Move! Attack! Useless piece of goblin trash!"

But Lykan didn’t answer.

He simply stood there, arms limp at his sides, like a puppet with its strings cut.

Of course.

He couldn’t hear the impostor anymore.

"You worthless goblin! You’re dead the moment this is over!!"

But Jhin already knew.

Every goblin in the boss room was trembling.

Nuada—Lykan—was buried in darkness.

Iron bars caged his mind.

Chains wrapped tight around his soul.

Like every goblin forced into servitude, Lykan had been denied even the ability to think for himself.

Was he born this way?

Had it always been so?

He didn’t know.

All he could remember was one command that had echoed for what felt like an eternity:

’Serve the King...’

Goblins were a race bound from birth to serve the King—an instinct woven deep into their very souls.

Perhaps because they were monsters who could manipulate souls themselves, this bond was even more profound.

They had no choice but to obey the bearer of the Goblin Crown.

But at some point—

Lykan had begun to wonder.

Whenever he pledged loyalty...

Whenever he fulfilled orders...

Why did it hurt so much?

If serving the King was natural, why did it feel so wrong?

Finally—when he rose to become a Nuada, an elite goblin—he understood.

’This is not a true King.’

The impostor controlling him was not a King.

He merely possessed the Goblin Crown and used it to shackle goblins against their will.

Every time Lykan resisted, the chains tightened, the pain worsened.

The impostor was a terrorist, a false ruler.

But goblins had no choice.

They had to serve whoever wore the crown.

Even if it meant slaughtering comrades.

Even if it meant desecrating their bodies by binding them with human souls.

Because that was the "King’s" command.

Even if it was a lie.

BOOM...

For the first time in what felt like forever, a crack appeared in the iron bars.

Light seeped in—a brilliant, painful light.

Lykan stared at it, overwhelmed.

His very soul felt like it might burn away.

But even so—

"King..."

He realized that the shackles binding his body were breaking.

The darkness was fading.

In the place where emptiness once reigned, light and countless souls flooded in.

All the rage he had been forced to suppress—

Was finally free.