This Is Grindelwald!

The storm that Grindelwald summoned was icy cold, but even more piercing than the chill was Grindelwald's sharp, heavy, and almost accusatory words.

"Everyone, watch this scene carefully."

Grindelwald floated into the air and looked down at everyone.

"The Qilin Journey? What an ancient and romantic ritual, full of unique shamanistic charm, ha—" He chuckled. "In this land of Bhutan, what does the past whisper to you, what does the old world tell you?"

"A young man," he pointed to Sean, "Is more suited to this leadership position than I am, more suitable than any of you here. When Qilin knelt before him, I didn't say a word; I was even delighted! How wonderful! Young people need recognition more than ever, and I hope that the next generation of Wizarding World will continue to surpass me!"

"And this young man was generous and mature. He let Qilin choose again— Qilin chose Muggle."

"At first, I was just like you, surprised, confused, and even angry. What did a Muggle have to do with this? But Qilin doesn't lie. This only proves one thing: this Muggle is indeed purer and kinder than everyone else here."

Grindelwald walked slowly in mid-air, the rain curtain turning into water steps amidst lightning and thunder. He walked on the steps, letting the heavy rain soak him.

"And then what? Tell me, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?!" Grindelwald demanded, almost roaring. "Isn't it that this Muggle doesn't deserve it?!"

Grindelwald abruptly changed the subject, his tone lazy and sarcastic. "Yes, how could he possibly be worthy of leading all the wizards—"

"But think about it with your moldy brains that are being corroded by the old laws—is this Muggle the one who is wrong? No, although he is Muggle, he showed kindness, is that something to be blamed for?"

Thunder roared along with Grindelwald.

"The fault lies with these foolish old rules! The fault lies with these unambitious wizards! The fault lies with you—the noblest race in the world! Yet you are bound by hundreds and thousands of years of outdated and corrupt laws!"

The rain poured down on everyone's heads, but few of the wizards present were willing to raise their magical umbrellas. Like Grindelwald, they let the cold rain soak their bodies and hearts.

He walked casually in the rain, stomping hard on the water bridge in mid-air, splashing water everywhere.

"Let me ask you another question: Is kindness a good quality?"

No one answered, so Grindelwald answered himself, "Yes, of course."

"Then let me ask you again, how can the highest leaders of the Wizarding World, relying solely on this so-called kindness, lead you to a brighter future? How can they stand tall in this hostile world? And how can they allow the naturally noble race of wizards to walk freely and unrestrained in this world?"

Do you need me to spell out the answers in your hearts?

A slight smile appeared on Grindelwald's lips.

"Queenie, this Muggle gentleman's wife," he looked at the now aged Queenie, "It's been a long time—as far as I know, when you got married, the Magical Congress of the United States of America forbade wizards from marrying Muggle."

"This ban was repealed in 1965. You should know which organization played a major role in this; it was the wizarding rights protection organization that I founded. I am not supporting interracial marriage; I am simply adhering to my consistent view—wizards are free to roam this land, to love freely, to hate freely, and to do whatever they want."

Queenie's breathing quickened, and she even clutched her collar.

Grindelwald looked at everyone. "This is what I want to say to each and every one of you, my friends, my brothers and sisters, my fellow countrymen. Doesn't it hurt that the noblest race is cowering in that pitiful corner like the most despicable rat?"

Grindelwald patted his chest. "From the moment I felt my first wisp of magic, I felt the stale breath of the old world clogging every pore of my body."

He spread his arms, letting the raindrops pelt his face, his murmured words striking the hearts of everyone in the arena and the wizards around the world watching everything.

"I can't breathe..."

Silence, a long silence.

Even Sean was speechless for a moment.

He stared at the teacher in the sky, feeling a mix of emotions.

Grindelwald's rhetoric, or rather, his ability to incite people, is becoming increasingly terrifying!

These words struck not only the hearts of those Pure-blood individuals who desperately needed a higher status, but also the hearts of those who remained neutral.

Free love, free hate— Grindelwald had long since grasped the sore spot of all wizards, and he was doing his best to absorb every wizard who might support his ideals. He really wanted to unite everyone he could.

He didn't even denounce Muggle or describe the harm Muggle caused, but every wizard who heard these words would think of their own situation—unable to cast spells in front of people, required to wear clothes "in accordance with the normal world," and even unable to take their pets for a walk.

Just by thinking about these people, wizards can also think about the root of all this— the Statute of Secrecy, Muggle, the Old Rules...

Grindelwald slowly turned around, silently meeting everyone's gaze. His eyes did not waver, looking at everyone quietly and firmly.

Finally, someone roared from the plaza below.

That man wasn't even a supporter of Grindelwald; he came from the support team of another candidate.

He brandished his wand, and the green mark representing Grindelwald shot straight up from the tip, the green smoke and light blurring and blinding in the rain.

We want freedom!

One call and a hundred responses; roars and the sound of markers exploding mingled together.

One person, ten people, a hundred people—more and more wizards stood together, and Grindelwald's mark exploded wildly in the sky.

"Free!"

"Freedom to hate, freedom to love!"

"Never again should I be bound by these constraints!"

People were shouting excitedly, their sweat mingling with the rain and becoming scorching hot.

The shouts of the people converged into the name of that man.

Grindelwald opened his arms, strode down the steps, and stood before everyone, meeting their gazes as equals.

"Are you willing to join me in shaping a new free world?"

The crowd was in an uproar.

"Grindelwald! Grindelwald!"

"Grindelwald! Grindelwald!"

Sean and Newt exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.

Grindelwald becoming the new chairman is a done deal!

Sean could easily imagine the wizards' excitement, and even he, who "knew the plot," found it hard to contain his excitement.

Stimulated by the crowd, even he felt like shouting.

Sean looked up at the sky, letting the raindrops hit his face, hoping it would help him calm down and think about the whole thing.

At that moment, Dave's thoughts came from his soaked clothes.

"Something's wrong with the sky..."

Sean's heart skipped a beat. "What's going on?"

"The rain seems a bit strange. I'm more sensitive than you, so I can sense it—and there are powerful creatures circling in the sky. I can smell their brains..."

Dave hesitated for a moment. "Two brains seem very excited, and the other two seem to be waiting for some command?"

Sean's pupils contracted sharply. There were creatures in the sky... and this rain was strange... the rain was summoned by Grindelwald!

With this in mind, Sean quickly walked past the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic and members of Pure-blood families around him, heading towards Grindelwald, who was receiving cheers and applause.

Just as he was about to reach Grindelwald, a woman pushed through the crowd and shouted something at Grindelwald.

In the rain, Grindelwald turned slightly to the side.

The woman opened her left palm, revealing what was on it. Then, only Sean, who was walking up from behind, saw that a magic wand appeared in the woman's right hand!

The wand was pointed at Grindelwald, and a green light was flashing!

"You're just asking for trouble, aren't you...?" Before Grindelwald thought had even faded from Sean's mind, an even more shocking and terrifying scene unfolded.

Grindelwald froze on the spot, not responding to the attack that was so close at hand!

Sean's eyes widened, and almost instinctively, the spell flew from his hand!

Unable to use powerful spells, Sean's combat instincts led him to choose the spell he could cast fastest!

The simplest Stinging Hex!

Sean's combat instincts played a crucial role; the woman's spell was about to be released when a sudden sharp pain made her stagger.

A terrifying green light shot out, almost grazing Grindelwald's clothes, and blasted a huge hole in the stone slab beside him.

A flying pebble cut Grindelwald's face, and he seemed to finally snap out of his dazed and stiff state.

Grindelwald grabbed the object the woman was showing him with one hand and gripped her throat tightly with the other.

The woman's wand flew out, lifting her high into the air, where her legs thrashed about.

And Sean finally saw the woman's face. It was... it was Marshall, the former head of the Guard Corps, who had come back from the dead and exposed a lot of the Guard Corps's dark secrets!

And among the crowd, it seemed that some people had been prepared all along.

"That's Marshall from the Guard Corps! The Guard Corps is trying to assassinate our new chairman!"

The crowd gasped in disbelief. The members of the Guard Corps who were out in the open looked at each other, completely bewildered. They had no idea what was happening.

Grindelwald lifted Marshall up, leaving her to struggle there.

His expression was calm, but his words were laced with anger. "Do you know what makes me angrier the most? My friends! While everyone is trying to make our world a better place, those who also have magic flowing through their veins don't want to see any of this!"

"The traitor is more despicable than the enemy! Seize all the Guard Corps!"

The crowd was slightly taken aback, but someone immediately launched a sneak attack on the Guard Corps. Under these circumstances, the others also immediately followed the leader and attacked!

The Guard Corps fell one after another, and more people chased after those who had begun to flee.

Sean stared in disbelief at the scene, never expecting it to turn out this way.

This... this was all part of Grindelwald's plan?!

He had planned it all along... Marshall was just a fuse, to appear and assassinate him when his reputation was at its peak, thus detonating the bomb that had been planted among the Guard Corps!

Sean looked around and sure enough, the first person to attack the Guard Corps revealed his true face for a moment as he ran—the iconic scarred face of Volto Bata, the guard of Newmontgard!

"You planned this all along..." Sean walked up to Grindelwald, but swallowed his words halfway through.

Grindelwald had already thrown the unconscious Marshall to the ground, and the hand that was holding Marshall's exhibit was trembling slightly.

Grindelwald glanced back at him, smiled easily, and put away what he was holding.

"Of course," he said casually, waving his hand behind him. "Marshall has long been one of my men. I sent her back, and I knew she would be exposed. Those old fogies certainly don't want to see me become the new chairman whom everyone wants—you see, Marshall is a traitor, they know that, and if I instruct Marshall to take action against me, they will definitely know that too."

"The Returners are always unwilling to accept defeat and want to get back at me. They will turn the tables on me, use my plans against me, and then actually kill me."

Grindelwald smiled. "However, I didn't expect what they brought out to be so substantial..."

"So, you almost messed things up?" Sean said, his head aching.

"Do you think I'm that kind of fool?" Grindelwald lifted his long coat, showing Sean the transparent barrier flowing inside. "I'm not going to entrust my life to those idiots. But you did well, a smart spell choice."

Sean finally breathed a sigh of relief, and at that moment, behind him stood the chairman—no, the former chairman.

Charles Vogel announced, "The Qilin Journey did not select the right person, and based on the choice of those present, Gellert Grindelwald will become the new president of the International Confederation of Wizards!"

At this moment, those who hadn't gone after the Guard Corps applauded. The other candidates, though unwilling, knew that even if there were another election, Grindelwald would still be the winner.

Grindelwald opened his arms to the flag that could broadcast his face and words to all corners of the world.

"Words are futile and powerless—my friends, let us step into this new world together."

Sean looked around, but Dumbledore never appeared there.

Sean only spoke after the image on the flag had faded.

"Is this rain strange?"

Grindelwald smiled slightly, "Why didn't you bring the badge I gave you?"

Sean took out the badge and was surprised to find a small button on it. Pressing it would cause spikes with blue light to emerge from the back of the badge.

Grindelwald smiled smugly, "Preparing only one plan is the most foolish thing to do. That's something I learned from... Albus."

"You..." Sean suddenly realized!

"Or rather, this was my original plan." Grindelwald stood with his hands behind his back, completely calm.