After Scrael defeated the Stone Demon, Toz and the others moved on to find their next opponent, and it didn't take long until they did. Unfortunately, it wasn't a singular opponent they could use as a sparring partner. They had stumbled upon a small group of demonic beasts. Most of them seemed to be something resembling ordinary buffalos, but there were a couple of larger ones that looked like they could pose a threat to their group.
The group of buffalos trudged on with seemingly no clear goal in mind. Toz and the cats didn't watch them for long, so they couldn't be sure, but it looked like the demonic beasts were doing what they themselves were doing, roaming the battlefield and looking for opponents.
Since they encountered the buffalos not long after Scrael finished her fight, she was still tired, but after Toz asked her, she left the familiar space and prepared for battle. Even if she wasn't in an optimal state, Scrael could still contribute to the fight with the buffalos. She might be too weak to fight with the strongest two, but since they were dealing with an entire horde, she could help by decreasing their numbers and keeping the weaker ones occupied.
And Scrael wasn't the only one targeting the weaker ones. Although they had stumbled upon a horde instead of a singular enemy, they could still make use of this opportunity.
However, it would take more skill and planning than the fight between Scrael and the Stone Demon. But at least they didn't need to go through a bothersome process and designate their champions, the two who would fight against the couple of strongest buffalos. Since Asilean still didn't want to fight in individual combat, there were only two cats who hadn't yet fought since they arrived at the battlefield. Nil and Lucy.
Lucy could still use his mind magic against the demonic beasts, but it wasn't necessarily a good thing since it wasn't quite as effective as it was against demons and would more than likely aggravate the demonic beasts until they died. And fighting rampaging beasts who didn't care about getting injured would be more difficult than fighting demonic beasts who led a herd of buffalos. But Lucy didn't put too much thought into it as he eagerly listened to Toz explain his plan.
Nil, on the other hand, was a little more anxious. The demonic beasts were too far away for Toz and the cats to accurately sense their levels, but just the atmosphere surrounding them made it clear that the buffalos weren't something to play with. They were lethal, murderous, demonic beasts who wouldn't hesitate to kill, especially the strongest two.
It wasn't Nil's first fight with beasts stronger than him who wouldn't hesitate to kill him. But it was his first time willingly diving into individual combat with an opponent clearly stronger than himself. He would still have Toz and the others close by, so he wouldn't be in extreme danger. But no one could guarantee anything in the middle of battle, so Nil couldn't help but worry.
However, he knew that worrying wouldn't solve anything, and he did his best to suppress his anxiety and focus on Toz's plan and what he could do to achieve victory over the buffalo.
Mincle, Scrael, and Asilean also got ready to put Toz's plan to work as soon as he finished talking.
Since they first saw the herd of buffalo, only a few minutes had passed, but Toz and the others had already come up with a plan thanks to their eagerness to fight. That same eagerness was also the reason why they didn't hesitate to put the plan in motion.
Following Toz's plan, Scrael and Asilean moved out while Toz and the remaining cats got in position.
Scrael might still be tired, but she had more than enough energy to outrun a buffalo, so she happily accepted Toz's idea.
Scrael and Asilean appeared in front of the buffalos with a nonchalant swagger. At first, the buffalos only watched warily. They had been on the battlefield for some time, and they knew that anyone and everyone could be an enemy that far surpassed themselves in strength.
Scrael and Asilean didn't display any demonic energy, so the buffalos thought that they might be enemies, but they also didn't display any hostility, so the buffalos hesitated.
But that hesitation left them open to Scrael and Asilean's attacks.
Scrael and Asilean attacked the leader buffalos, one each.
The buffalos panicked and were about to grunt in pain when they realized that the lightning and the scratch that traveled through space were barely more than harmless.
Their attacks hadn't injured the buffalos, but they had pissed them off. Not to the point that they lost all reason, but it was enough to make them chase Scrael and Asilean.
And the two cats' continued cocky attitude as they stayed just out of reach for the buffalos while continuing to launch inconsequential attacks further enraged the two buffalos.
Scrael and Asilean played it safe at first, in case the buffalos were effective at long-distance attacks. But they soon began to gradually decrease the distance between themselves and their targets, which confirmed that the buffalos seemed to be limited to their bodies' physical capabilities.
Scrael and Asilean weren't only there to enrage and bait the buffalos. They also scouted the buffalos' abilities.
After confirming that the buffalos only fought in melee range, Scrael and Asilean practically rode on their heads due to how close they were to the buffalos. Having the two cats so close to them but still being unable to reach them continued to enrage the buffalos, especially when the two cats kept teasing them with their attacks that could hardly be called attacks.
Eventually, Scrael and Asilean looked back and saw that they had accomplished the first part of the plan and, after launching a couple of attacks, darted in separate directions. The buffalos were too angry to hesitate and chased after the closest cat.
