Graves temporarily let Newt go, and the two of them Apparated rapidly through different parts of the subway.
They desperately dodged the Obscurus's attacks, but this only caused the station to collapse even faster.
The Obscurus suddenly accelerated, forming a towering wave that swallowed the station before bursting through the tunnel ceiling and surging upward.
John watched as the patterns on his wand gradually lit up, charging at an astonishing speed, like an oversized power bank.
"Good work, Credence."
John estimated that it wouldn't be long before it was fully charged.
The Obscurus surged out onto the streets, wreaking havoc along the pavement. Whether wizard or No-Maj, everyone could only stare in stunned disbelief.
This supernatural force was utterly terrifying.
A half-constructed skyscraper was struck by the Obscurus. The glass on every floor shattered violently, and the skeletal scaffolding twisted and collapsed under its crushing force, teetering on the brink of total ruin.
Beyond the magical barricade, the crowd panicked, no longer caring about taking pictures as they scattered to escape.
The Obscurus spread out again into a massive disk that blanketed the sky, then suddenly contracted into a dense mass and plunged back into the subway through the opening.
Screaming. Diving.
The Obscurus's terrifying power ran rampant. Newt and Graves were on the brink of death, lying together, trembling beneath the oppressive darkness.
Within the black mist, Credence was in agony.
John had amplified his emotions.
A cloud-like mass of black energy enveloped the subway dome, surging toward the two fallen men.
"Credence, don't!"
Tina rushed over, her voice making the Obscurus halt.
Credence recognized that voice. When he had been beaten and abused by his adoptive mother, it was Tina who had defied the law to help him.
Those who have suffered the most remember kindness the deepest.
The black mist slowly, gently swirled as Credence stared at Tina.
Tina met the eerie eyes within the darkness.
She pleaded, "Don't do this, please."
Seeing that it was working, Newt urged, "Keep talking, Tina. Keep talking to him. He's listening to you. He is."
Inside the black mist, Credence reached out both hands toward Tina.
She was the only one who had ever treated him with simple, genuine kindness. His expression was filled with urgency, but also fear.
John's fingers brushed along his wand.
Mm. It was fully charged.
Under its full rampage, the energy stored in the wand had already reached the level of a super magic crystal.
Since that was the case, John flicked his wand, and the threads entwined around Credence were severed.
The influence of the mental magic vanished, and Credence gradually began to stabilize.
Tina looked at Credence with sorrow and pity.
"I know what that woman did to you."
"I know you've suffered a lot, but you can't keep going like this."
She appealed to both his emotions and reason. "Newt and I will protect you."
Graves caught his breath and got back to his feet.
He had no intention of giving up on the Obscurus.
Tina stepped forward slowly. "This man… he's using you."
Graves immediately retorted, "Don't listen to her, Credence. I want you to be free."
He tried to soothe him, his voice gentle. "It's alright."
Suddenly, something white appeared in Graves's line of sight, behind the black mass of the Obscurus.
His pupils shrank.
Because John had stopped using mental magic, Credence's influence was gradually diminishing.
The Obscurus was also beginning to contract.
At that moment, Aurors flooded into the subway, charging into the tunnel.
More Aurors appeared behind Tina as well, launching their attack.
They raised their wands, pressing forward aggressively.
"No!" Tina tried to make them lower their wands. "You'll scare him!"
"Credence."
John's voice rang out.
Credence turned his head, and John said softly, "Remember that spell."
Credence let out a dreadful groan as the Obscurus began to swell once more.
Tina and Newt tried to protect him, while Graves reacted even more sharply, raising his wand.
"Lower your wands!" Graves roared. "Whoever dares touch him will answer to me!"
"Credence."
"Credence…"
Graves and Tina had different goals, but for this brief moment, they stood on the same side, both trying to protect Credence.
But the Aurors began firing spells.
Flashes of magic struck the Obscurus, drawing a pained scream from Credence.
His face twisted as he reached out toward John.
He wanted to grasp this kindred spirit, to understand how to find his own family.
John looked at him and slowly raised his wand.
"Time Corridor."
An ouroboros coiled around Credence's wrist.
Under the relentless attacks, the Obscurus's magical energy began to dissipate.
A sphere of white magic replaced the black mass.
Then, the sphere exploded.
The shockwave sent Newt, the others, and the Aurors flying.
All power subsided.
Fragments of black matter drifted outward like feathers.
Among the fallen, John remained standing.
He began to walk forward slowly.
A pair of eyes followed him the entire time.
John looked toward their owner. Graves's expression was unreadable.
John gave a faint smile, his lips moving.
"Long time no see, Gael."
In that instant, the man who had been hiding his identity understood that he had been exposed.
What surprised him, and set his thoughts racing, was why this old acquaintance still looked exactly the same as before.
In the years after he left Godric's Hollow, the man had searched many times for any trace of that white-haired wizard, yet found nothing.
It was as if he had never existed in this world at all, with no origin, no past.
Extraordinarily gifted, shrouded in mystery.
And now, he had finally seen that unchanged white-haired wizard again.
A man equally sharp-minded, he arrived at a possibility.
John waved a hand at him, then stepped forward. His figure vanished without a trace.
With John gone, Graves turned his attention back to the fools who had ruined his plans.
"A bunch of idiots. Do you even know what you've just done?" Graves was furious.
Picquery stepped out from behind the Aurors, her tone firm as she openly questioned Graves's actions.
"It was I who ordered the Obscurial to be killed, Mr. Graves."
Graves was furious at their actions. He had been so close to obtaining the Obscurial.
Just a little more, and he could have carried out his plan.
Just like before, when he had tried to take Al away.
So close. Always just a step away.
He took a deep breath, then spoke in a tone heavy with mockery. "Yes, history will record this, Madam President."
"What happened here was neither just nor merciful!"
Picquery shot back, "He should be held responsible for the death of a No-Maj, nearly exposing all of wizardkind, and violating our sacred laws!"
"That law makes me no better than a rat in the gutter!"
"That law forces us to hide who we truly are!"
"That law makes those under its rule cower in fear, terrified that we might be exposed!"
"Madam President," Graves's sharp gaze swept across everyone present, "ask yourselves, who is that law meant to protect?"
"Us? Or them?"
His questioning left the Aurors speechless. Graves turned and walked away, sneering. "I refuse to bow any longer."
Such thoughts, such words—
They were no different from the rhetoric of Grindelwald rampaging across Europe.
Sensing something was wrong, Picquery immediately ordered the Aurors to arrest Graves.
As Graves reached the depths of the platform, a wall of white light blocked his path.
Irritation and restlessness surfaced on his face. After a brief moment of thought,
he let out a sinister laugh and turned around.
The battle began.
The Aurors of the Magical Congress fired spell after spell, but against a powerful wizard, their attacks were little more than childish play.
With a mere flick of his wand, Graves sent several Aurors crashing to the ground.
Sensing the situation, Newt immediately released his Swooping Evil to block Graves's spells, then cast a glowing rope of supernatural light from behind, binding him tightly.
Tina acted as well, summoning the fallen wand into her hand.
Disarmed and restrained, hatred burned in Graves's eyes.
Newt had long suspected his identity. A Revealing Charm exposed Graves's true face.
Platinum-blond hair. Heterochromatic eyes.
A face that appeared on wanted posters across every Ministry of Magic.
Gellert Grindelwald.
Even after returning to his original form, Grindelwald remained arrogant, sneering, "Do you really think you can hold me?"
Picquery understood just how dangerous this man was.
"We will do everything in our power, Mr. Grindelwald."
With that, the battle came to an end. Queenie and Jacob arrived, carrying Newt's case with them.
Newt gazed at the brightening sky outside, where the last remnants of the Obscurus drifted away.
Outside,
On top of a high-rise building near the subway station,
John stood there, one hand in his pocket.
"Where do you want to go?"
He looked at Credence, who was curled up on the rooftop. The ouroboros around his wrist had saved his life.
Credence's body trembled, the scene of being blasted apart lingering in his mind.
Hearing the question, he lifted his head.
"I'm going to France."
The Thunderbird rose from the shattered subway, flying into the clouds.
Lightning flashed, and heavy rain began to fall.
A gust of wind from John's wand shielded him from the rain.
"A potion that can make people forget unpleasant things… Newt, your Potions must have been excellent."
After tasting the rainwater's composition, John said casually, "Then go to France."
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