As Hoffman drew closer to Vinica and Rein, he could clearly see the young and beautiful twin-tailed girl, her hand clutching her chest and her willow-shaped eyebrows tightly knitted, an expression of pain etched across her face.
This set Hoffman's mind at ease!
Clearly, Master Nehru's curse was as effective as ever.
Moreover, this female Wizard Apprentice's age and appearance were both quite stunning.
Especially when she was clutching her chest due to the "Pain Curse", the contour of that elevated area was perfectly outlined.
This caused a flicker of other thoughts to pass through Hoffman's mind.
He was a man, and it was natural to have thoughts about an eighteen-year-old beautiful girl—it was normal.
Thus, his attention couldn't help but linger on the girl for an extra second or two.
However, Hoffman still cautiously glanced at the young Great Knight beside her.
The knight's head was lowered, his face obscured, and he didn't immediately draw his weapon when he saw the Spineback Sea Serpent quickly approaching—an indication that he likely was under the influence of Master Nehru's "Weakness Curse".
Both of them being cursed as expected gave Hoffman a sense of great relief.
After thinking it over, he decided to first deal with the young Great Knight... As for the remaining girl, he might consider not killing her. A female Wizard Apprentice of such beauty would have considerable value wherever she was placed.
If Master Nehru was not interested, he could bring her back to the Eagle Federation to enjoy at his leisure.
With this thought, Hoffman's heart heated up, and he immediately accelerated the Spineback Sea Serpent towards Rein.
At that moment, Rein lifted his head and gave Hoffman a slight smile.
Suddenly, a sense of alarm exploded within Hoffman's mind!
His pupils contracted sharply as the figure in front of him, like an inflating balloon, suddenly swelled, growing from two meters to about two meters thirty in height.
The previously slightly loose bright silver knight armor was suddenly emitting a 'creaking' noise from being squeezed, giving off the impression that it might burst at the seams due to the muscles expanding beneath.
There wasn't the slightest sign of him being afflicted by a weakness curse!
The young man opposite took a step forward!
Instantly, the seawater exploded outward, and the immense reactionary force propelled the man's figure high into the air.
In midair, he held aloft a dark double-handed hammer, his entire posture stretched and poised like a bowstring drawn to the limit, then he swung down forcefully from above!
In the blink of an eye!
Hoffman had no time to dodge, his body instinctively knew he had to immediately raise his shield to block.
It was because the opponent's attack was too fast and abrupt, and more so because of Hoffman's own initial misjudgment that after being weakened by the curse, the knight would be like meat on a chopping board.
Furthermore, the attractive girl by the side had also drawn a portion of Hoffman's attention.
So, under various reasons, at this moment, he could only madly channel the strength within his body and lift the blood-veined steel shield in his left hand with all his might to protect himself.
A look of relief at having narrowly escaped death, along with a resolve to retaliate fiercely afterward, surfaced on Hoffman's face.
The moment the Pig-head Hammer touched the Blood-veined Shield, a blinding spark erupted.
In an instant, the Blood-veined Steel Shield, alloyed with rare minerals, shattered into pieces!
Hoffman's expression, which had held for less than a tenth of a second, changed drastically, his eyes bulging, his face stricken with horror!
The strength behind the opponent's hammer was shockingly immense!
It had shattered his Blood-veined Shield in a single contact.
What was more terrifying was that he suddenly felt a strong force, mixed with strength, rippling through him from the armor gloves inch by inch across his body!
For a moment, he lost all sensation in his left arm!
Then a sharp pain followed.
From the palm, to the forearm, to the arm, it spread throughout his body and even reached the Spineback Sea Serpent he was mounted on.
From Vinica's perspective, after receiving Rein's hammer strike, Hoffman froze in place as if the image was permanently paused, the waves crashing, the sea breeze blowing gently.
It started with Hoffman's shield-bearing left hand.
The left hand suddenly burst open, followed by the arm exploding, then the shoulder armor shattering, and then a sound of "crackling and popping" came from deep within Hoffman's body.
"This... this... how could..."
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"Pugh!" Hoffman's eyes bulged, and he violently spat out a mouthful of fresh red mix containing his innards, his face full of disbelief.
"You... how could you... not have... not be affected... by the Weakness... Weakness Curse!!!"
Hoffman's entire body, like a dead snake with its spine pulled out, slumped weakly onto the body of the Spineback Sea Serpent, still struggling for breath, he managed to utter this question before dying.
Sadly, Rein did not answer his dying question.
Having lost balance, Hoffman's eyes widened as his entire body slid from the back of the Spineback Sea Serpent into the sea.
A death with eyes wide open!
And the Spineback Sea Serpent, which had intended to spit venom for an attack, had its action interrupted directly by the multiple shockwaves that came with Rein's precisely executed secret technique.
At that moment, the Spineback Sea Serpent, regaining its senses from its frozen state, looked at Rein with its large snake eyes as if it had seen its natural enemy!