Wilkinson raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I see you've figured out how to use it. I'm a bit surprised, considering he couldn't see through the maze…"
Use? Confundus? Ivan was stunned. He was acutely aware of the hidden meaning in Wilkinson's words — could the Resurrection Stone really summon the souls of the dead?
"So it was a trick, no wonder…" In that moment of surprise, Wilkinson sensed something amiss in Ivan's reaction and realised that he had been mistaken. Ivan had not mastered the use of the Resurrection Stone, but had used a false illusion to fool everyone.
This was not impossible. The Resurrection Stone created magical illusions, but to those who did not know better, they were no different from actual spirits being summoned.
All Ivan had to do was hand the Resurrection Stone over to the Russian wizards, and Igor would be the Russian Minister, as everyone knew him to be. No matter what kind of question you asked or what kind of probing you did, the other party would give you the answer you expected.
Unless they had information beforehand, no one would suspect a thing.
After all, communicating with the spirits of the dead was not something difficult for wizards to understand.
Yvonne was the only one who could barely understand Wilkinson's monosyllabic speech.
Conal did not care, as he understood that his priority was to capture Grindelwald.
Grindelwald could answer all of her questions if she caught him!
"Surrender, Grindelwald, and you will not escape this time! I want you to be honest with me. Where is the real President Wilkinson?" Connor demanded, drawing his wand and pointing it directly at the President of Congress.
Anywhere else, they wouldn't have been able to take Grindelwald out with a hundred percent confidence, but this was the North American Magical Congress, and Grindelwald's entrance into the building was like a tiger in a cage.
However, Wilkinson's reaction was out of Connor's expectations. Despite being surrounded by a large number of Aurors, he did not look flustered at all. Instead, he replied playfully, "Unfortunately, in case of any mishaps, I've sent the President of Congress to see Merlin…"
"Asshole…" Connor ground his teeth as he stared at Wilkinson.
"Why are you so upset? If he dies, you'll be the new President of Congress, won't you? I thought you'd be pleased," Wilkinson said with a sarcastic smile.
"Not everyone is like you…" Connor said coldly, backing away and waving his wand. "Don't let his words get to you. Do it!"
The moment Connor opened his mouth to speak, the hundred or so wizards around him waved their wands. Wilkinson was not going to sit around and do nothing. A torrent of fire rose into the air and transformed into a dozen ferocious fire dragons that surged in all directions…
Bruno and the others were horrified at the sight, and some witches screamed. Fortunately, the spell cast by the hundred or so wizards was working.
A circular barrier of magic rose up in front of them, separating them from Grindelwald.
The terrifying Fire Dragon crashed into the magical barrier with an ear-piercing and unpleasant bang. Fine cracks visible to the naked eye appeared on the magical barrier, but they healed in an instant.
Many people also noticed that the fierce flames were gradually weakening. Wilkinson, who was in his sixties, transformed into a middle-aged wizard with blond hair in his forties.
Ivan, watching from the sidelines, had no intention of intervening. In fact, he could not find any opportunity to do so.
The magical barrier, created by over a hundred wizards, was extremely strong, isolating the building from the outside world. It also seemed capable of suppressing and weakening magic, most likely due to the combination of the protective mechanisms within the building.
It was no wonder Connor was so confident in his ability to subdue Grindelwald. Ivan guessed that he would die of exhaustion if he were to be trapped inside. After all, this was the equivalent of fighting against hundreds of wizards, no matter how strong he was…
Under the combined pressure of the North American Aurors, the large magical barrier began to shrink, and even Grindelwald's repeated, powerful spells were unable to stop it.
The wizards were relieved to see Grindelwald in such a state, as they could all see that once Grindelwald was bound by the barrier, he would lose all ability to fight back.
"Director Connor, it looks like the chaos of the past few months will finally be over…" The President of the Asian Association looked at Grindelwald, who was trapped in his office and dying, and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been on tenterhooks for the past two days due to the frequent attacks, and had not been able to sleep well. Now, he could finally relax.
Conal, however, was not as optimistic as the President of the Asian Association. He was frowning, as was Ivan, who had been too calm since they had seen through Grindelwald's cover!
At first, Ivan thought Grindelwald was bluffing, but he grew worried when he saw Grindelwald taking his time.
What exactly was Grindelwald counting on?
Ivan's mind raced, and then he remembered what he had done when he attacked the British Ministry of Magic.
Ivan's expression changed, and he immediately turned to Connor and said urgently, "No, Minister Connor, you'd better send someone to the Department of Mysteries right away. I suspect Grindelwald has done something there!"
Conal, reminded by Ivan, soon realised this as well.
The key to their entrapment of Grindelwald lay in triggering the protective mechanisms within the Magical Congress of Magic, which suppressed, weakened, and banned all use of spatial magic.
If the Department of Mysteries went wrong, it would all be over!
However, before Connor could act, Grindelwald's voice reached their ears.
"You're always so clever, Hales, but sadly, it's too late!"
As he spoke, Grindelwald snapped his fingers, and the entire Magical Congress Building shook violently with a deafening roar…