Chapter 467: Oh no…

The dust and smoke from the herd’s stampede still hung in the air as Rize advanced. Her body seemed to glide across the ravaged field, each movement swift and precise, as if dancing among the demonic beasts. She didn’t wait for any order—now that Vergil had given the signal, she surrendered herself to the kill with an almost artistic pleasure.

The first bull raised its horns to try to impale the girl. Rize didn’t stop; she twisted her body sideways, the black blade appearing in her hand like a natural extension of her arm. A single cut—clean, clean—separated the creature’s head from the rest of its body.

Demonic blood sprayed, burning the ground with sulfuric smoke. She was already on her second target before the first body fell. With a swift leap, the blade slammed into the beast’s neck, the weight of the impact tearing flesh all the way to its chest.

Vergil, meanwhile, moved calmly around the lead demonic cow. Her fingers traced invisible symbols in the air, forming thin lines of blue energy that interconnected until they became a translucent dome. The barrier took shape with a sharp sound, like glass being stretched to its limit.

The cow immediately realized she was trapped. Her red eyes glowed with intense anger, and she began to circle within the confined space, snorting and testing her limits.

“Stay there, little one,” Vergil said with a half-smile, as if speaking to an angry child.

In the background, the sound of Rize’s battle echoed. The metallic sound of blades cutting through bones, agonized bellows, and explosions of demonic energy each time a larger beast fell. She moved too quickly for any bull to have a chance to react—every dodge, every attack, was calculated to kill in the next instant.

Two bulls came together, horns lowered. Rize leaped onto one, landed on its back, and then used the momentum to spin and cut the other in half. Her face remained serene, but her eyes glowed with an almost feverish intensity.

Vergil, on the other hand, never took his eyes off the trapped cow. “Let’s see what you’re made of.” He increased the pressure on the barrier, forcing the energy field to contract a few centimeters, further limiting the creature’s space.

The cow snorted, its hooves digging into the earth, and then twisted its body to kick. The impact reverberated through the barrier, creating fine cracks like spiderwebs.

Vergil arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”

The cow reared up on its hind legs and kicked again, this time with enough force to make a crack echo like shattering glass. The dome glowed brightly, trying to reassemble itself, but the creature reared back and struck again—a brutal blow, all its muscles focused on the impact.

With a loud shatter, the barrier shattered. Fragments of energy scattered like luminous dust in the air.

The cow landed firmly, huffing heavily, its nostrils belching black smoke. It stared at Vergil as if it knew defying him had been a dangerous act.

And it was at that moment that Vergil truly smiled—not that calm, distant smile. But something more… excited. “Interesting…” he murmured, almost to himself. His eyes roamed the creature’s musculature once more, as if measuring it for something only he could imagine.

Then he blurted out, quietly but audible to anyone nearby: “If only she had a humanoid body…”

On his shoulder, Zuri sighed deeply. Her serpentine eyes rolled back, and she murmured, “Here we go…”

Rize, bloodied to the elbows, spun to face her master. “She broke your barrier?”

Vergil answered without taking his eyes off the cow. “Yes. And not by luck.”

The leader of the herd advanced, but not in a direct attack—she made a quick sideways movement, trying to circle Vergil as she would prey. This made him smile even more.

Meanwhile, the slaughter continued. Rize felled bulls with sharp blows, and the land was already filled with immense bodies, smoke, and the smell of burning demonic blood.

A bull larger than the others charged at her, its horns covered in bony spikes. Rize ducked at the last moment, slipped under the animal, and made a cut that extended from its throat to its abdomen, splitting it in two before the sound of the attack could be heard.

Vergil, motionless, watched the cow prepare another attack. As it lunged forward, he raised his hand and conjured an invisible energy slash. The ethereal blade struck the ground in front of it, forcing it back. It wasn’t a killing strike—it was a warning.

“You’re not all brute force, are you?” he said, more to himself than to her.

The cow snorted, pawing at the ground, but didn’t attack immediately. It gauged the distance, adjusted its stance.

Zuri looked from Vergil to the creature. “I can’t believe you’re thinking about… whatever you’re thinking about.”

He just smiled again.

In the field, Rize finished cutting down the last bull that dared approach. Her movements slowed, and she wiped the blood from her face with the back of her hand, turning to her master. “The rest ran away.”

Vergil gave a brief nod, but his eyes remained fixed on the cow, which, even alone, stood firm.

“Interesting…” he repeated, taking a step forward.

The cow didn’t flinch.

The silence that fell after Rize’s butchery wasn’t truly silence.

The acrid smell of burning demonic blood still permeated the air, and the earth vibrated slightly beneath the cow’s heavy strides, as if every muscle was made to transmit brute force.

Vergil took another step, studying every detail of the animal.

The hot wind carried ash and dust, and on his shoulder, Zuri stood motionless, watching with watchful eyes—though her body conveyed a clear “this is going to be trouble.”

Rize walked to stand beside her master, her blade still dripping with blood. She looked at the cow with genuine interest. “Master… do you want me to take her down?”

Her tone wasn’t provocative, but a simple offer.

Vergil didn’t even look away. “No. If she broke my barrier, I want to see what else she’s capable of.”

The cow lowered her head slightly, snorting, black vapor escaping from her nostrils like furnace smoke. The earth beneath her hooves began to crumble, she was so firmly supporting her weight.

“Oh no…” Zuri murmured, as if she already knew her next move.