Chapter 240: The celebration banquet instantly turned into a trial court?
The crimson destroyer let out an unwilling wail, and scorching steam spewed from its fractured armor!
Spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly, but the adventurers, so close, felt not the slightest heat.
The wind picked up!
An unstoppable golden torrent instantly engulfed the destroyer's remains, sweeping all the terrifying heat, enough to obliterate everything, into the sky!
A searing white orb, having ascended to its limit, exploded above Axel, with pure golden light and high pressure sweeping across the entire scene!
In that instant, the entire world lost its sound and color.
After the deathly silence, a world-shattering shockwave descended from the sky, like the wrath of a god, crashing down in all directions!
All the adventurers near the plains were sent flying high by this storm, like kites with broken strings, tumbling all the way until they barely stopped at the foot of the city wall!
Fortunately, tendrils of golden wind swirled around their bodies, completely neutralizing the force of the shockwave; everyone was merely blown away, not injured.
However, when they successively picked themselves up from the ground and looked around, they all gasped.
The once-invincible destroyer had completely vanished, leaving only dark red metallic particles in the sky, like a bizarre blood rain, pattering on the ground with crackling sounds.
The calamity that had risen several times thus drew its curtain in an almost absurd manner.
The adventurers fell into a deathly silence, and Aqua, clinging to Kazuma's leg, was the first to look up, squinting at the clear, cloudless sky.
A small black dot was rapidly approaching, and the figure seemed to be dragging a burning… sun in his hand?
"Huh!? Wait a minute! Mr. Arthur! Why would you bring such a dangerous thing back!?"
Aqua's cry broke the silence, and the adventurers all looked up, their gazes fixed on Arthur's hand as he descended with the wind.
Arthur calmly shook his head: "Don't be nervous, it's very safe. I just want to study if this thing has any other uses besides exploding."
On the surface of the scorching, pulsating corona stone in his palm, a light blue membrane inscribed with complex runes was wrapped around it.
The moment the violent flames touched the membrane, they quickly extinguished, like a raging fire meeting a tsunami.
Although the corona stone still looked extremely dangerous and high-energy, it indeed no longer overflowed with energy, completely eliminating the possibility of an explosion.
Seeing this, an adventurer's lips trembled as he uttered a sentiment he himself found hard to believe.
"It's… over? We… defeated the destroyer?"
The wild joy of victory arrived late, like a bursting dam, flooding everyone's hearts, and cheers like a mountain and a sea rose into the sky!
The battle of the mobile fortress destroyer officially ended.
The residents crowded around the adventurers, cheering them all the way to the Adventurers' Guild.
That night, the atmosphere in the guild was incredibly lively, with mountains of delicious food and wine for the celebration banquet.
Adventurers slung their arms over each other's shoulders, boasting about their bravery.
Arthur finally managed to shake off the strangers who frequently came to toast him and went to a corner, sitting down beside Darkness.
"You said the coolest line, but ended up playing a scarecrow from beginning to end. How does it feel?"
Darkness shyly turned her head away, her body trembling uncontrollably.
At this moment, a tipsy Aqua, with no ill intent, leaned over and teased with a giggle.
"Speaking of which, Darkness just stood outside the city wall staring blankly this time! Do you know? I worked very hard! Not only did I break the barrier, but I also healed many people!"
Wiz, supporting Megumin who was exhausted of magic and hadn't recovered yet, passed by and also said in an equally harmless tone.
"Megumin's Explosion Magic is truly amazing! She is indeed the Crimson Demons's foremost genius! In a few more days, she will surely surpass me!"
"Ugh… Next time! Next time I will definitely prove that my Explosion Magic is the strongest!"
Listening to her companions' back-and-forth, Darkness's entire face turned red like a boiled shrimp, wishing she could bury her head in her breastplate and hide right then and there.
"You… you're too much! This, what kind of new humiliation is this?!"
Just as Arthur and the others were immersed in this relaxed and joyful atmosphere, a resounding clang of heavy armor on the ground broke the harmony.
The guild door was pushed open from the outside, and a black-haired woman wearing glasses walked in.
Behind her followed two heavily armored knights with chilling auras, their cold gazes instantly locking onto Arthur's table.
Princess Luna, looking somewhat troubled, followed closely, hurrying to the woman's side.
"Nice to meet you, I am the Kingdom's Prosecutor, Sena."
The serious-faced Sena wasted no words, walking directly in front of Arthur, with the knights behind her gripping their sword hilts, highly vigilant.
"First, thank you all for defeating the mobile fortress destroyer and making outstanding contributions to the Kingdom. However, I have a few questions that require your cooperation in an investigation."
Arthur's gaze bypassed the stern Sena, glancing at the two knights behind her who looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, his eyes playful.
"A pleasure, Prosecutor. Your setup doesn't look like you're treating people who have rendered meritorious service. Please speak plainly."
Sena raised a hand and pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting the light, obscuring her cold eyes.
"Mr. Arthur, your team once accepted the Kiel Dungeon investigation quest. The report states that you purified the Archmage Kiel, who had been entrenched there for years, correct?"
Arthur nodded steadily: "That is indeed what happened. Is there a problem?"
Sena's brows furrowed, her suspicious gaze sweeping over everyone present, before she finally sighed.
"Something happened at Kiel Dungeon. A large number of mysterious monsters emerged from deep within the dungeon. They not only drove out the existing monsters but are also expanding their influence at an alarming rate."
"Mysterious monsters?"
Arthur murmured, turning his head to look at his equally bewildered teammates, waiting for Sena to explain further.
"The royal capital's diviners claim that this incident was caused by a Demon Lord's Army Executives."
"And your team was the last known group to enter Kiel Dungeon. Coupled with the matter of the Headless Knight Beldia, whom you once investigated, which also ended inconclusively…"
"Mr. Arthur, it's hard for me not to connect these events."
"Therefore, I apologize, but please come with us for questioning!"
The previously noisy guild instantly fell silent at Sena's words.
The adventurers, whose lives had just been saved, all stood up, loudly expressing their dissatisfaction.
"What a joke! Because of this, you suspect the heroes who saved the entire city are lackeys of the Demon Lord's Army?"
"Exactly! It's bad enough the Kingdom isn't giving rewards, but they want to arrest and interrogate our heroes?"
"Actually, the Headless Knight was defeated by Mr. Arthur alone! I have internal mission archives! The adventurer card records can also prove it!"
Princess Luna scurried to the reception desk, retrieved a confidential document from a drawer, and presented it to Sena with conviction.
Sena accepted the document with surprise, and after quickly reading it, the suspicion on her face had not completely dissipated.
"Defeating a Demon Lord's Army Executives alone… Indeed, if he were a spy, he wouldn't use this method to cover himself."
Sena closed the document, but her tone remained firm.
"But this only clears them of past suspicion; it doesn't explain the new problems appearing in Kiel Dungeon!"
She looked at Arthur, a flicker of struggle in her eyes beneath her glasses, but it ultimately turned into resolute determination.
"The royal capital is currently stretched thin by war and cannot spare manpower to deal with the rear. If the calamity in Kiel Dungeon is truly the work of a Demon Lord's Army Executives, once it erupts, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Sena stared intently at the unmoving Arthur and the others, took a deep breath, and almost squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.
"Regarding the rewards for the Headless Knight and the mobile fortress destroyer, I will apply for double the amount under the Kingdom's highest decree! I implore you all to lend a hand once again to resolve this trouble! This is both a request and a transaction!"