"He killed the Qilin and used magic to manipulate it so you would think he could lead you," Newt said, walking out from the crowd to confront Grindelwald directly.
"But in reality, he does not want to lead you at all. He only wants war!"
"Lies, lies fabricated to deceive. He just wants to use falsehoods to distort what you have seen with your own eyes," Grindelwald said, his smile remaining confident and unshaken.
"On that night, the night the old Qilin died, two Qilins were born! He just wants you to follow him blindly!" Newt retorted with passion.
"Oh really? Then why do you not show us your evidence, Mr Scamander?" Grindelwald asked, looking at him with obvious contempt.
"Oh, you really need evidence?"
Aiden jumped down from the stone wall railing with feline grace, gently tossing Jacob out. The Muggle floated over to Queenie's side with supernatural ease.
The dragon-person's slender tail lifted up from outside the railing, and at the tail's end was a briefcase wrapped securely around it.
Grindelwald's smile vanished at once. He gradually sensed something wrong, and Vogel behind him exchanged a meaningful glance with him.
"Please."
Aiden extended his tail before Newt with theatrical courtesy, who carefully took the briefcase.
"Let me tell you, carrying a briefcase with my tail is exhausting. I suggest you put some weight-reducing charms on it next time."
"I will consider it."
Newt smiled at Aiden and immediately crouched down to open the briefcase with trembling fingers.
The moment the Qilin appeared, everyone's minds were impacted by its presence. Their attention was completely focused on the sacred creature, drawn by the beautiful stories in their hearts, letting down their mental defences completely.
They did not notice at all that Aiden in the transmission image had moved. He pushed his glasses with one claw, his eyes revealing humanlike brilliance and terrible intelligence.
The Dreamweaver's web was transmitted worldwide through the transmission spell, spreading like invisible spider silk.
In Ministry buildings around the world, above the wizards' seas of consciousness, dreams quietly unfolded like opening flowers, extracting secrets from the wizards' unguarded hearts.
Tens of thousands of secrets constructed a huge maze of information. Aiden temporarily stored it on the Island of Consciousness for later examination.
The connection between living beings and the collective unconscious sea became increasingly clear in Aiden's eyes, like glowing threads visible only to him.
Following his two previous glimpses of the world's full picture, at this moment, he had completely finished the ritual needed for advancing to Sequence 2.
On the other side, the genuine Qilin released by Newt walked forward and chose Dumbledore without hesitation.
But Dumbledore gave this opportunity to Santos, implying that he, Dumbledore, would act as the puppet master behind the next era—guiding without ruling.
This man, Aiden thought with a mixture of admiration and exasperation.
As everyone surrounded Santos preparing to celebrate, Dumbledore quietly withdrew from the crowd with practised stealth.
Aberforth and Dumbledore flanked Grindelwald in a pincer movement, and Aiden also quietly cut off Grindelwald's retreat with supernatural speed.
Grindelwald's face showed no trace of fear. He raised the Elder Wand and fired a Killing Curse at the defenceless Credence.
Simultaneously, Dumbledore and Aberforth both acted, two protective spells shooting out in bursts of golden light.
Grindelwald fought one against two without falling behind at all, his movements a blur of deadly precision.
Unfortunately, the moment Dumbledore and Grindelwald's spells made contact, an invisible force destroyed the foundation of the blood pact's existence, allowing Dumbledore to successfully release his surname's power while ensuring the Mirror of Erised remained stable.
The blood pact left Dumbledore's wrist like a shed skin, and the chains binding it all turned to smoke and dust that scattered in the wind.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald both glanced at the blood pact with complicated expressions but had no time for sentimentality.
The Mirror of Erised instantly expanded. Grindelwald's Killing Curse shattered the stone platform behind Dumbledore in an explosion of debris.
Dumbledore Apparated behind Grindelwald with a sharp crack and shot out a Stunning Spell.
The Stunning Spell penetrated Grindelwald's illusion and similarly shattered the wall behind him, sending ancient stones tumbling down the mountainside.
Fragments of the Mirror of Erised floated in the air like glittering snow. Aiden, holding his staff, entered the battlefield with determination.
"Zoltraak."
A clock appeared behind him, and the power of entropy reversal was added to Aiden's staff, making it hum with terrible energy.
A black flash cut through the air, rushing toward Grindelwald. He raised his hand, and ghostly blue flames blazed up in response.
The flames ignited Aiden's spell, burning away the magic on it with hungry intensity.
At the same time, using Aiden's magic as fuel to grow stronger, a dragon's head rose from the flames with a roar.
"We cannot use Deep Realm power here! There are too many ordinary wizards outside," Dumbledore said, blocking protectively in front of Aiden.
Aiden and Grindelwald simultaneously withdrew their power. The flames extinguished, the clock dissipated into nothing.
The two men whose feelings surpassed brotherhood exchanged an affectionate glance that held decades of history, then Dumbledore put on his hat properly and prepared to leave with Aiden.
"Who will love you now, Dumbledore!"
Seeing Dumbledore's gaze gradually turn cold and distant, Grindelwald spoke his true feelings in desperate anger.
"You are alone," he said, his voice breaking.
Dumbledore tilted his head slightly and left a single sentence hanging in the air.
"I have always been alone."
The blood pact smashed to the ground, and the entire Mirror of Erised instantly dissipated like morning mist.
Santos won the election decisively. It seemed aversion to war was still the prevailing trend among wizards.
She led people gradually surrounding Grindelwald, who retreated strategically with his remaining followers.
Grindelwald Apparated onto the railing with supernatural grace. Blue flames surrounded him, forming an impenetrable shield.
Members of the International Confederation of Wizards attacked him one after another, numerous spells striking the flames like bullets hitting water.
Unfortunately, these spells could not match the Deep Realm King's corrupting power and could only become food for the hungry flames.
"I was never your enemy, not in the past, not now!" Grindelwald proclaimed to the assembled crowd.
Having said this, Grindelwald fell backward and Disapparated in mid-air with theatrical flair.
More spells rushed up, dispersing his flames into harmless sparks.
Theseus, Kama and others rushed to the railing to look down, but it was already empty—Grindelwald had vanished.
"Why not finish him off in one go? Went soft?" Aiden teased.
"There were too many young people on the field. No matter how our ideologies diverge, Gellert and I would never wage war with the wizarding world's future as the stake," Dumbledore said, putting his hands in his pockets and swaying his body slightly.
Suddenly, he saw Aberforth come to the pale-faced Credence's side, kneeling beside the dying man.
"Did you ever think of me?" Credence struggled to open his eyes, each breath a labour.
"Always," Aberforth said, reaching out to support his shoulder. "Come home."
Credence nodded forcefully, tears streaming down his face. Aberforth helped him up gently, glanced meaningfully at Dumbledore, then left, supporting his nephew.
Dumbledore turned back. "Aiden, do you have any—"
"No!" Aiden said, knowing exactly what Dumbledore was going to ask.
"Being eroded by the Deep Realm King, then massively overdrawing his life force—that he has lived until now is already a miracle. But I can lend him the Philosopher's Stone to delay his lifespan a bit. How long he can survive depends on your research capabilities."
As Aiden spoke, he pulled out a pink stone and handed it to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore froze when he saw this pink stone, staring at it with obvious confusion. The two locked gazes.
"What is this?"
"Philosopher's Stone."
"Why is it pink..."
"Take it or leave it!" The dragon got anxious and made as if to take the stone back.
"I will take it!" Dumbledore said quickly, clutching it to his chest.