Flames Rekindled!

Without any warning, and without even waving his Grindelwald's Twig Wand, deep blue flames ignited around the circular plaza, centered on him.

The Guard Corps were well prepared for any trouble they dared to cause Grindelwald.

Blue flames rose up, and the wizards around them raised their wands in unison. Pale silver spells surged from the tips of the wands and then intertwined, quickly forming a silver magical barrier around the dozens of people.

No, to be precise, this silver, translucent barrier became a hemispherical dome, trapping Grindelwald and the raging demonic flames together.

It both protected itself from being corrupted by the demonic flames and trapped Grindelwald at the very center.

A combined spell... Sean's pupils contracted slightly.

Most spells cannot be fused together. Two "Expelliarmus" spells will explode when they intertwine, and even if they do not explode, they will not increase the power of the spell.

Defensive spells like "Protego Maxima" can be cast in combination, but this method only increases the spell's defensive range, with a negligible improvement in overall defensive capabilities.

The pale silver barrier in front of them truly blocked Grindelwald's demonic flames.

Clearly, this was beyond the power of one person; the power of the curse was truly amplified.

Sean previously knew of only one combination spell: Summoning Charm. The combined effect of this spell was to increase the number of summoned creatures, which was obviously not very useful in actual combat.

Grindelwald had also told him that there were almost no combined spells used for either offense or defense, at least he had never seen one. Grindelwald didn't say it was 100% certain; he told Sean that perhaps such spells existed in the long History of Magic, but for unknown reasons, they were not passed down.

Now, both of them have seen it.

Sean couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Within the pale silver barrier, deep blue flames surged violently and frantically, yet the barrier, though seemingly fragile, remained completely unshaken despite the immense impact of the flames.

Marshall, who was in charge, breathed a sigh of relief, but she did not let her guard down. She channeled magic into the barrier as if it were free.

Sean looked around. The people who cast the spell were wizards he didn't recognize, and all the ones Grindelwald had called out earlier were among them. James and Sirius beside him were watching all of this with serious expressions.

They should all be core members of the Guard Corps...

Inside the barrier, the blue flames raged for a while before realizing they couldn't break through the shield. The flames flickered a few times, then subsided as if they were intelligent beings.

Only then did everyone see Grindelwald trapped in the center of the fire.

His face was calm, and he even paced around the circle with great interest.

Deep blue flames licked at Grindelwald's calm face as he extended his branch wand and poked the pale silver barrier.

"Sizzle!" As if touching an electric grid, the dazzling light suddenly shone and then went out. Grindelwald said with great interest, "Looks like they're really well prepared, bringing out such good stuff... Defense, binding, and weakening, a three-in-one effect, it's quite a nice spell."

He looked at the descendant of the Prossos family and said with a smile, "It seems that when I visited last time, your family had hidden away all the good stuff."

The man didn't speak, but silently gripped his wand tighter.

Marshall shouted, "Grindelwald, there are many things I don't need to explain to you. You know them better than anyone here—surrender!"

Grindelwald raised an eyebrow. He ignored Marshall and stood at the very edge of the pale silver barrier. He placed one hand on the barrier, and an explosion and a hissing sound flashed by.

"Let me confirm one more time, he really didn't say anything to you?" Grindelwald's hand rested firmly on the barrier as he leisurely looked at Newt.

Even though he was the one who was trapped, Grindelwald always gave off a sense of oppressiveness, as if he were the one surrounding everyone.

Newt was not a member of the United Charms, and he continued carrying his briefcase, his expression unchanged. "No comment."

"Tsk—tsk—" Grindelwald shook his head in disappointment, "How ruthless..."

As he spoke, he extended another finger and traced it across the barrier.

Sparks flew, but he was unaffected, stroking the face of his lover with such care.

"By the way, Scamander ..." Grindelwald stopped what he was doing and gave a strange smile.

"Did he write a eulogy for you in advance?"

As the syllable fell, the entire ground of Père Lachaise Cemetery trembled violently!

To the horror of the Guard Corps, raging blue flames suddenly appeared from behind them and above their heads, bursting out from every crack and engulfing everyone in their midst!

Under the night sky, the dilapidated cemetery, which had been emitting only a faint light, was suddenly set ablaze!

In a dance training school in the eastern part of Paris, the lights are still on in the common practice room.

Inside the room, a heavy, large record player played the opening of the Mahler's Seventh Symphony, Fifth Movement.

"This competition is very important. It wasn't my intention to have extra training at night, but it's necessary. Okay, girls, don't let me down."

As the timpani began to play, the girls danced gracefully.

After the heavy timpani, a low ensemble of various instruments followed, then the French horn and trumpet played a majestic rondo theme in a march style. Amidst the grand and majestic music, the girls' dance became even more unrestrained.

The symphony reverberated, its rhythm becoming noisy and restless, while the coach watching from the sidelines kept clapping along.

"Very good, continue. Show me your expressions! Always remember the meaning of this piece!"

"This is a collage of various colors, a gathering of energy, a moment of celebration, and a 'return to daytime'."

"Camille! What are you doing! This is the climax of the dance, why did you stop!" the coach suddenly screamed, pointing at a girl. The girls' steps froze, the music still echoing.

The little girl in her dance costume pointed with a trembling hand at a corner of the window hidden by the curtains, her expression one of shock.

They walked over, then their eyes widened.

That is Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Above it, a colossal, deep blue fire dragon and a Phoenix were soaring freely and gracefully.

In Paris, ordinary people peered out in terror as they saw blue flames shooting into the sky from the eastern part of the city, and the city trembled along with its people.

Inside the cemetery, deep blue flames had enveloped everyone, and scorching waves of fire covered every corner.

Right in the center, Grindelwald closed his eyes in bliss, raising his hands high, his wand dancing in his palms.

The demonic flames danced according to Grindelwald's will; he was like the world's most outstanding conductor, the dancing flames his notes, and the people's terrified screams his accompaniment.

"Oh—oh—" he exclaimed with delight, "What a wonderful night—"

The Wizarding United Guard tried to cast a spell, but to their horror, they found that the combined spell was ineffective. Deep blue flames were everywhere, forcing them to retreat, but behind them were also terrifying waves of fire.

Finally, someone could no longer bear the fear in their heart. It was a young male wizard with a childlike face, who seemed to have just graduated not long ago.

"No—" he murmured in terror, then looked up and waved his wand.

He wants to escape from here.

"No!" Marshall shouted.

But it was too late. His Apparition hadn't worked, and in those few seconds of lost defense, the deep blue flames embraced him like a Greed demon.

His young body vanished like dust, and he didn't even manage to utter a final sound.

The ashes floated and drifted in the flames, eventually turning into a wisp of black smoke that blended into the radiant Paris night.

"Oh, tsk tsk, tsk tsk—" Grindelwald sighed regretfully, "Young friends are always like this, so impatient."

Someone tried to attack Grindelwald with a spell, but his spell only flew halfway before Grindelwald gently raised his branch wand, the spell made a loud clattering sound, and then vanished without a trace.

The flames engulfed everyone who dared to make a move.

"Damn it...damn it..." Sirius looked at all this with a pale face. He and James had been protecting Sean and fighting off the flames.

Grindelwald didn't rush to activate the magic flame. He strolled casually, glancing at Marshall: "I thought that after all these decades, you should have made some progress. Ha—what a disappointment."

Marshall repelled the flames around her, her expression solemn, her lips pressed tightly together, and she remained silent.

"The only lesson humanity can learn from history is that humanity never learns from history." Grindelwald shook his head in disappointment. "I thought you could give me a surprise, but it turns out this is your carefully crafted plan?"

"Let me tell you something," Grindelwald said, adopting his gentle expression as a headmaster, "Whether you're a wizard or Muggle, we should always look at things from a developmental perspective. Often people only notice the surface things."

"Look at you, you think I'm already a hundred-year-old man, that I have one foot in the grave, that my identity as headmaster has stifled my sharpness, that my reactions and speed are far inferior to when I was young, and that I've even lost my powerful weapon—" Grindelwald laughed. "Yes, that's right, you're absolutely right."

He crouched down and gave a gentle smile to Marshall, who had been knocked back by the flames and lay on the stone steps, looking down at him.

"But why not think about it more? I've given up my life's dream, which also means—I have nothing to do. Come on, running a school is much easier than planning terrorist attacks all over Europe. Just think how bored I must be!"

"When people get bored, they have to find something to do. I had to pick up my long-abandoned magic lessons. Look at the results of my studies—" He proudly stretched out his arms to embrace the deep blue flames. "Are you satisfied?"

"Grindelwald ..." Marshall squeezed out the heavy name from his dry, burning throat.

"Hate me all you want, I love it all." Grindelwald smiled and reached out. Marshall made no sound as her ashes dissipated in the graveyard.

"This is Grindelwald ... I finally understand what Dumbledore meant when he said that..." James shook his head with a wry smile as he desperately tried to defend himself.

Sirius's gaze turned serious. "This is the most talented wizard in the world that Dumbledore spoke of..."

Grindelwald strolled happily through the flames, no longer putting on any act to entice others to join his ranks, and completely indifferent to the curses and pleas for mercy of those around him.

He walked up to a male wizard, a member of the Prossos family.

"Why don't you speak, my friend?" Grindelwald asked softly.

The man's lips twitched, but in the end, he only stared at the other person with a look of fear and hatred.

"Unfounded backbone, unfounded confidence," Grindelwald scrutinized the other's 'unyielding' face, then coldly raised his wand, "Combustficus."

Crimson flames began to emerge from the man's seven orifices, his eyes blazed with fire, and black smoke billowed wildly upwards.

However, Grindelwald seemed to still be controlling the power of the spell. The man did not turn to ashes immediately. He finally let out a silent wail, his charred face twisting wildly.

Grindelwald frowned in displeasure. "You won't even say hello to me?"

The fire-man roared silently, his robes began to peel away, his wand turned to charcoal, and he staggered toward Grindelwald, step by step, until finally he stood before him with difficulty.

The sorcerer, now only in human form, reached out a hand as if to grab Grindelwald. He struggled to raise his hand, and his dark fingertips trembled as they stopped in front of Grindelwald's nose.

"Uh..." he uttered in an extremely hoarse whisper.

Grindelwald raised an eyebrow and leaned in with interest. "What do you want to say, my friend?"

"Pfft." The fire man fell heavily to the ground, the flames growing stronger as he fell, his body becoming lighter, and then his ashes drifted to the ground.

"Oh, what a pity." Grindelwald shook his head regretfully.

He walked toward another group of people, the wizards he had previously named.

"Aren't you going to talk about your earth-shattering conspiracy?"

Everyone shut their mouths, and then turned into light ashes amidst Grindelwald's expressions of pleasure or disappointment.

He walked up to the last person, a witch in her thirties, whom Sean remembered as a descendant of Vabralski.

The woman's eyes trembled violently under Grindelwald's calm gaze. Finally, she timidly opened her mouth. "I... I'll talk..."

Suddenly, she opened her mouth wide in horror as flames burst forth, giving her no chance to continue speaking.

Gazing at the scattering ashes, Grindelwald twitched his brow. "Actually, I know I was just kidding, ha~"

The remaining Guard Corps retreated, trembling, while Grindelwald slowly turned around.

"Alright... um?" Grindelwald suddenly turned his head to look at a crack above his head.

Gradually, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile, and a wild and joyful smile spread across his face.

"Oh—oh!" he laughed heartily. "I Paris— "