With a solemn nod, the grandmaster looked at her with a gaze that was filled with both love and pride.

“YES. I WILL DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.”

Her voice softened, filled with a warmth that was rare to hear in her usual commanding tone.

“BONG ME-EON… YOU HAVE BEEN A GOOD DISCIPLE. YOU HAVE BECOME STRONG, WISE, AND COMPASSIONATE. I HAVE WATCHED YOU GROW FROM A TIMID STUDENT TO A WARRIOR. I COULDN’T BE MORE PROUD.”

Tears welled up in Bong Me-Eon’s eyes, the weight of her master’s words hitting her like a blow.

She could feel the pride radiating from her master, and it made her chest tighten with an overwhelming mix of sorrow and gratitude.

She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

“Master…” Her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes glistening as she looked at the woman who had taught her everything.

The grandmaster reached out a hand, resting it gently on Bong Me-Eon’s shoulder.

“YOU HAVE CARRIED MY LEGACY WELL, AND YOU HAVE EVEN FOUND A DISCIPLE OF YOUR OWN, ONE WHO IS STRONG AND BRAVE. YOU HAVE TAUGHT HIM WELL, JUST AS I TAUGHT YOU.”

A soft smile tugged at her lips, and she squeezed Bong Me-Eon’s shoulder reassuringly.

“DO NOT LET FEAR HOLD YOU BACK, MY DEAR DISCIPLE. SOMETIMES, WE MUST MAKE SACRIFICES FOR THE ONES WE LOVE. AND YOU HAVE A STRONG HEART, STRONGER THAN YOU KNOW.”

Bong Me-Eon blinked, a tear escaping down her cheek.

Her heart felt as if it were breaking, the weight of her master’s words settling deep within her. “But… why, Master?” Her voice cracked with pain and confusion. She couldn’t understand why her master was willing to risk so much, to face Volk alone.

The grandmaster’s gaze shifted to Song Woo-Ji, still caught in Volk’s relentless grip, his body twitching with the red deathly aura around him.

“THIS MONSTER KNOWS, BONG ME-EON. HE KNOWS THAT SONG WOO-JI’S SPIRIT IS STRONG. THE SPIRIT HE CARRIES IS AN ANCIENT ONE, AND IT CAN MATCH THIS BEAST. THE HORDE WARCHIEF DOES NOT WANT TO GIVE IT THE CHANCE.”

Realization dawned on Bong Me-Eon’s face, the truth settling heavy and cold in her heart. “So… if Song Woo-Ji awakens fully, will the spirit protect him?”

The grandmaster nodded, her eyes glistening with a fierce determination.

“YES. THE SPIRIT’S POWER IS LIMITED. BUT FOR THAT BRIEF TIME, IT CAN OVERPOWER EVEN THIS MONSTER.

“THE MONSTER HORDE WARCHIEF KNOWS THIS, AND HE’S DOING EVERYTHING TO PREVENT IT. THAT’S WHY WE MUST GIVE WOO-JI THE CHANCE TO FIGHT BACK, TO FULLY AWAKEN.”

Bong Me-Eon took a deep breath, her mind racing as she processed everything her master had said.

She felt a surge of respect and love for this woman who was willing to put herself in harm’s way, all for the sake of her disciple’s survival.

“MASTER,” Bong Me-Eon said softly, her voice thick with emotion. “YOU… YOU’VE BEEN LIKE A MOTHER TO ME. I NEVER GOT TO SAY THANK YOU… FOR EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE.”

The grandmaster gave her a gentle, tearful smile, a look of pure love shining in her eyes.

“MY DEAR, YOU HAVE ALREADY THANKED ME IN EVERY MOMENT YOU’VE LIVED YOUR LIFE WITH HONOR. YOU HAVE MADE ME PROUD, BONG ME-EON.”

Bong Me-Eon bit her lip, swallowing down the lump in her throat as she nodded, understanding her master’s resolve.

She reached out, clasping her master’s hand, holding it tightly as though she could somehow keep her from what she was about to do.

The grandmaster squeezed her hand in return, giving her a final, reassuring look. “THIS IS OUR DUTY, MY DEAR. IT IS OUR JOB TO PROTECT OUR WORLD, NO MATTER THE COST.”

Taking a deep breath, Bong Me-Eon straightened, her face resolute as she steeled herself for what was to come. “I understand, Master.”

The grandmaster released her hand, turning back to Volk with a fierce glare, her hands crackling with dark energy. She took a step forward, her voice ringing out in a final, defiant battle cry.

“ORC!! OGRE!! WHATEVER YOU ARE! YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME NOW!”

As the words left her lips, she raised her hands, summoning a torrent of necromantic energy that filled the air with a haunting, spectral light.

Volk’s colossal foot swung toward the grandmaster, slamming into her with a force that echoed like a thunderclap.

“SMACK!”

The impact alone seemed to silence the battlefield for a heartbeat, her body seemingly crumpling beneath the blow.

A savage satisfaction curled across Volk’s lips as he sneered down at her crumpled form.

“WEAK WOMAN,” he scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain.

“NOT WORTH VOLK’S TIME.”

He turned, already dismissing her from his mind, expecting to see her body flung far across the field like a discarded rag doll. But instead, her figure began to dissolve, disintegrating into a strange, dark ash that twisted in the air.

The ash swirled, not in the chaotic path one would expect, but with an eerie, controlled movement, like a shadow given life.

It spiraled higher, catching the faint light with an unsettling shimmer, its form undulating and writhing as if bound by a purpose, a relentless will that defied logic.

The ashes twirled and looped, gathering density as they swarmed together, snaking around Volk with a dark, ominous energy.

As he watched in stunned silence, the ash continued to circle him, drifting closer and closer with each spiral until it grazed against his skin like an icy fog.

Volk shivered as he felt an unnatural pressure, as if the very air around him was thickening, pushing against him from every direction.

It was subtle at first, but soon, that pressure began to build, intensifying as the ash encircled him with an intent he couldn’t ignore.

The sensation was foreign, something he hadn’t encountered before.

He tried to shrug it off, but with each movement, he felt himself being shoved backward, the ash forming a thick barrier that defied his strength.

“WHAT…?!”

He growled, his muscles tensing as he fought against the invisible force.

Then, from within the swirling darkness, a spectral face began to emerge, taking form from the ash.

The grandmaster’s face took shape, her features set in a fierce, unyielding expression, her eyes gleaming with a power that even Volk found unsettling.

Her lips parted, and her voice rang out in a furious cry, echoing through the ash-filled air around them.

“BONG ME-EON!” she screamed, her voice cutting through the haze with a strength that resonated deep within Bong Me-Eon’s chest. “TAKE WOO-JI’S BODY AWAY!”

Her voice was both a command and a plea, filled with a desperation that snapped Bong Me-Eon from her grief-stricken stupor.

Her heart pounding, she forced herself to her feet, casting one last glance at the spectral form of her master before dashing toward Song Woo-Ji, who still lay bound and helpless in Volk’s grasp.

The ash continued its relentless assault on Volk, each wisp pressing against him with a force that grew stronger, more determined.

The pressure seemed to multiply with every passing second, the ashen mist pushing Volk further and further from Song Woo-Ji’s body.

He stumbled, his massive frame shuddering under the onslaught, frustration and fury twisting his face as he fought to regain control.

“GRAAAHHH!”

Volk roared, his powerful limbs straining as he tried to push back against the ash. But for each step he forced forward, the spectral force pushed him back two, refusing to yield.

The grandmaster’s ash-born face continued to twist and swirl around him, her features shifting and reforming as she poured every ounce of her lingering power into holding him at bay.

Meanwhile, Bong Me-Eon reached Song Woo-Ji’s side, her heart racing as she took hold of his limp form.

She gripped his arms, digging her heels into the ground, pulling with every ounce of strength she possessed.

However, Volk’s lingering hold still clung to Song Woo-Ji’s body, a monstrous resistance that made him feel as if he weighed ten times his normal size.

“AAAAAHHHHHGGGGG!!!”

Bong Me-Eon’s shout tore from her throat, the sound raw and desperate as she strained against the invisible tether that held Song Woo-Ji fast.

Beside her, the grandmaster’s voice rose again, her ash-born form intensifying, the spectral mist thickening as it surged forward with renewed ferocity.

The ash wrapped around Volk’s arms and shoulders, spiraling down his legs, anchoring him to the ground with an immovable weight.

He snarled, thrashing against the ethereal bindings, his muscles bulging, veins straining as he tried to throw off the ashen chains.

“GRRRRAAAAAAHHHHH!”

Volk’s roar echoed across the battlefield, his fists pounding against the invisible barrier as he attempted to break free.

However, the more he fought, the tighter the ash seemed to hold him, its incorporeal grip refusing to relent.

“MASTER!”

Bong Me-Eon’s voice shook with both fear and determination, her eyes stinging as she struggled to pull Song Woo-Ji free.

She braced her legs, throwing her weight backward, every muscle in her body straining as she tugged against the weight of Volk’s grasp.

But the grandmaster’s ash held strong, each twist and turn of the ethereal mist driving Volk back inch by inch.

His furious gaze flickered from Bong Me-Eon to the spectral face, his frustration mounting as he realized he was losing ground.

The ash continued to push him, forcing him further and further from Song Woo-Ji, the relentless force unyielding in its purpose.

The grandmaster’s face loomed closer, her expression fierce, unyielding.

With each surge, her presence seemed to grow, towering over him like a shadow, her gaze boring into his with a determination that bordered on the otherworldly.

Bong Me-Eon’s fingers slipped slightly on Song Woo-Ji’s arms, her grip nearly failing as exhaustion clawed at her limbs.

However, with one final, desperate shout, she dug her heels into the ground, throwing her entire weight into the pull.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHGGGG!!!”

With a sudden, wrenching force, Song Woo-Ji’s body tore free from Volk’s grasp, the momentum sending both Bong Me-Eon and her unconscious disciple stumbling backward.

As they hit the ground, she glanced back at the towering figure of Volk, who was still locked in the grandmaster’s relentless grip.

Her master’s ash continued to push Volk away, forming an impenetrable barrier that gave her and Song Woo-Ji a momentary reprieve.

They had done it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep