Harpy

"Good timing!" Sensing the approaching wind from both sides, Anthony held the Tang knife and used a foothold to leap into the air, easily evading the attacks of the two men. He then pushed off the wall, directing the blade towards the Butcher's neck.

"Not good!" The blade approached, and with his X-ray vision, the Butcher saw it clearly. He realized he was in a dangerous situation and tried to dodge, but despite his ability to see, his body couldn't react quickly enough.

In an instant, a spurt of blood splattered against the wall. The Butcher's eyes widened with disbelief as he stared at Anthony, his mouth agape. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out, and soon his vision darkened as well.

With one down, Anthony turned to look at the giant eagle in the sky. His mouth curled into a smirk as he flicked his wrist, causing the Tang knife to disappear. In its place materialized a rectangular, peculiar-looking long spear – a second-level Apocalypse Laser Gun obtained through the system exchange.

"I haven't tried this thing yet. Perfect opportunity to give it a test run," Anthony murmured to himself. He aimed the laser gun at the soaring eagle, lightly pulled the trigger, and in an instant, the energy gauge on the gun started to read. The barrel gathered a cluster of red light that condensed into a ray, shooting straight towards the eagle.

"What is this?" Confusion marked the eagle's face as it looked at the approaching red light. It instinctively sensed danger, but the laser was too fast for it to evade.

Zzzt! In the blink of an eye, the eagle's wings were burned with a hole the size of a cup. The wound was instantly cauterized, preventing any blood from flowing out. Struck by the laser, the eagle lost its balance, emitted a cry of anguish, and plummeted from the sky.

"It seems my marksmanship is decent," Anthony taunted. The apocalypse laser gun transformed back into the Tang knife in his hand. With a flash, he rushed toward the falling eagle, cleaving downwards.

A massive eagle head flew up, and blood gushed from its neck like a fountain. The headless body twitched a few times on the ground before transforming into a humanoid figure draped in a black robe.

"An animal-type ability?" Anthony casually glanced at Ollie, who had finally stopped chanting, and then turned to the harpy. Smirking, he said, "Now it's your turn."

As he spoke, he raised the Tang knife again. Simultaneously, Ollie's incantation came to a complete stop. Golden eyes glittering, he stared fixedly at Anthony and roared, "By my blood, I summon!" In the instant Ollie's voice fell, two beams of golden light shot from his eyes towards the sky.

"A summoning ability? No wonder," Anthony's expression became knowing. He had thought that mythical creatures wouldn't appear in this world, but when he sensed something amiss while Ollie was summoning, he realized that this was possible. Tightening his grip on the dual blades, he bellowed. The second-level Tang knife once again transformed into a silver radiance, slashing towards Ollie.

In the moment before the blade was about to sever Ollie's neck, a whirlwind suddenly kicked up around Ollie. The gust of wind froze Anthony's slashing movement, and he was blown backward.

"What?" Letting out an astonished cry, Anthony was sent flying over twenty meters, only stopping himself in time by grabbing onto a wall. What was happening?

In the next moment, the sound of an eagle's cry echoed through the sky. A massive figure descended from above, landing steadily beside Ollie. With a gentle flap of its large wings, the strong wind around them dissipated.

"What's this?" With the wind gone, Anthony could finally get a clear look at the appearance of the giant figure.

A woman's upper body with a hawk's beak for a face, curves accentuating her feminine form, and critical areas concealed by brown feathers. From the navel down, she had the legs of an eagle, and her back bore a pair of wings that spanned at least seven to eight meters. This monstrous being stood at a height of around ten meters.

"What in the world is this creature?" Seeing the summoned monstrosity, Ollie's face lit up with joy, and he burst into laughter. "Hahaha! I've finally summoned you, the Messenger of the Underworld, the Harpy, Hape! *Cough*... *Cough*!" He spat out a mouthful of blood, his complexion turning pale by several shades, but his delighted expression couldn't be concealed.

A Harpy? How could such a thing exist in this world? Anthony's eyes widened, but he remained undaunted. While his opponent seemed powerful, it didn't necessarily mean he couldn't defeat her.

Gripping his Tang knife, Anthony bent his legs and shot forward like a bullet. Just as he was about to strike the Harpy's head, her wings flapped, blowing him backward once more. Fortunately, he managed to perform a somersault in the air, grazing his knife into the ground to steady himself.

Looking up at the Harpy again, a hint of wariness appeared on Anthony's face. Attacked by Anthony, the Harpy's avian eyes glinted malevolently. She turned to Ollie with an inquisitive gaze and emitted a sound that was not quite human.

"As long as you kill him, the more than a hundred humans behind him will all be yours," Ollie exclaimed excitedly.

The Harpy nodded, and when she looked back at Anthony, her gaze resembled that of a predator assessing its prey. This look made Anthony feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Tch! Who's the prey isn't certain yet." Annoyed by this, Anthony muttered under his breath. He pulled out the Tang knife, barked a low command, "Spirit, activate! Hard Qi, activate!" As he spoke, a warm stream surged from his dantian, flowing throughout his body.

In that instant, Anthony's body began to expand. His height, originally 1.8 meters, shot up to two meters. His streamlined muscles bulged, stretching his T-shirt almost to the point of tearing. Empowered by Hard Qi, Anthony felt his strength increase by at least twofold. Simultaneously, he activated Spirit, causing his strength to skyrocket to 23,394 jin.

"No wonder Dash loves using Hard Qi so much. This feeling of immense power is truly wonderful!"

"Next, it's time for me to show off!" Licking his lips, Anthony lifted the Tang knife, arching his body slightly. The ground beneath him cracked as his body created a fan-shaped sonic barrier. Shattering the sound barrier, his body shot forward at a terrifying speed. The Tang knife he held sliced through the air, emitting a piercing whine.

Seeing Anthony approaching, the Harpy let out a sky-piercing screech. Spreading her wings, she lunged at Anthony with her talons extended. The impact of their clash sent shockwaves that reverberated through everyone present, causing throbbing headaches.

In the arena, apart from Ollie, no one saw how Anthony and the Harpy exchanged blows. The shockwaves they produced caused layers of dust to billow out in all directions. In the next moment, two figures staggered back out of the haze.

Anthony took seven or eight steps backward, while the Harpy retreated six steps. At first glance, Anthony seemed to be at a disadvantage, but upon closer inspection, a wound over thirty centimeters long could be seen on the Harpy's arm.

As Anthony steadied himself, his trembling arm fueled his determination. He couldn't help but roar, "Impressive! You're really strong! Come at me again!"