"Goku? And this is...?"
Hearing the knock, Makarov—who had just finished wiping his eyes—opened the door. Seeing the unfamiliar elderly man standing beside the boy, a look of confusion crossed his face.
"This is my teacher, Grandpa Dumbledore. And this is the Master, Grandpa Makarov," Goku introduced them.
"A pleasure to meet you, Master Makarov," Dumbledore said, proactively extending his hand.
Makarov shook it immediately, responding warmly: "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Dumbledore. Thank you for your help with the children of the guild last time, and thank you for raising such a fine student as Goku."
"You are too kind, Master. Goku has had many teachers; I am merely the most insignificant among them. He was already quite extraordinary before he ever met me," Dumbledore explained with a chuckle.
"You are far too modest!"
Makarov's opinion of Dumbledore instantly shot up. Technically, Makarov considered himself one of Goku's mentors as well, and Dumbledore's words skillfully placed himself below Makarov in hierarchy. Even though he knew it was a polite formality, it was certainly music to his ears.
"Grandpa Makarov, I need to leave for a few days," Goku stated, getting straight to the point of their visit.
Makarov asked with a hint of concern, "Is something the matter?"
"I need to train a new magic. Once I succeed, my strength will increase a lot," Goku explained simply.
A look of realization dawned on Makarov's face. "Is this for that ritual you've been doing with the leaf every day?"
Goku had been sucking on that Mandrake leaf for an entire month. Although he couldn't speak during that time, his gestures had made it clear he was practicing a very specific, disciplined form of magic.
"Yes. It's called the Animagus transformation. It's a bit like Take Over magic," Goku said.
In this world, Take Over magic allowed a mage to "take in" the power of monsters or animals. When one achieved a Full-Body Take Over, they could completely transform into that creature.
This was exactly what Elfman had done during the clean-up after the Phantom Lord battle; by overcoming his mental trauma against the Earth Elementalist Sol, he had finally achieved his Beast Soul form.
On the surface, Goku using an Animagus transformation to turn into a Great Ape was nearly identical to Elfman's Beast Soul.
The only difference was that the power of the Great Ape far eclipsed that of the Beast King.
"Very well. Try to be as quick as you can. we plan to move out in one week," Makarov nodded after a moment's thought.
The operation to suppress Hades and Grimoire Heart couldn't happen overnight. It required meticulous preparation to ensure total victory. Thus, the final showdown on Tenrou Island was scheduled for seven days from now.
In truth, even without Goku, their current combat strength was sufficient to execute the plan.
On the side of Grimoire Heart: Hades possessed power at the tier of the Four Gods (Heavenly King level), and Vice-Commander Bluenote Stinger was at the peak of the Wizard Saints. The Seven Kin of Purgatory ranged from Wizard Saint level to peak S-Class.
However, Ultear (a Wizard Saint) was actually their mole, and another top-tier S-Class member, Meredy, was Ultear's confidant, essentially making them "allies." Thus, their real targets were Hades, the Vice-Commander, and the remaining five Kin.
Looking at their own side: they had Warrod (Heavenly King level), Jellal (Peak Wizard Saint), Makarov himself (Wizard Saint), Ur (Wizard Saint), Laxus (Wizard Saint level), and Mystogan (Wizard Saint level).
Below them were the high-tier forces: Erza (Peak S-Class), the Thunder Legion (S-Class), Juvia and Gajeel (S-Class), and Natsu and Gray (S-Class). Not to mention Cana, Elfman, and Levy, whose strengths were rapidly approaching S-Class after the trial by fire against Phantom Lord.
Based on the standards used by external mages to rank power, the guild's current roster was terrifying. Even without a Heavenly King-level powerhouse like Goku, the victory was virtually guaranteed.
Yes—in Makarov's eyes, a Goku fighting at full strength was already a Heavenly King-level combatant.
Of course, having Goku involved would make it even safer.
But Makarov wouldn't force it. He believed that since the plan was already secure, Goku's personal training and growth should take priority.
"Rest assured, Master. Whether he succeeds or not, I will bring Goku back to help in one week's time," Dumbledore spoke up.
The next stage of the Animagus ritual mainly involved the vial containing the Mandrake leaf and saliva absorbing sufficient moonlight.
Afterward, various magical herbs would be added, and the vial would be buried in the earth.
One had to wait for a thunderstorm to arrive, unearth the vial, and drink the potion while reciting an incantation to trigger the first transformation.
The main variable now was waiting for the storm. If a storm arrived at Hogwarts the day after they returned, they could be back within forty-eight hours.
If it didn't come by the seventh day, they would simply return for the mission and go back to wait afterward. As long as Goku remembered to recite the incantation twice a day at sunrise and sunset, the progress wouldn't be lost.
Therefore, Goku's training wouldn't delay the final encirclement.
"That is excellent news!" Makarov wasn't surprised that Dumbledore knew about the operation, given that Dumbledore had been the one to save Ur and the others.
After finishing his goodbyes with Makarov, Goku returned to the Forest to prepare.
Since Grandpa Dumbledore wanted to stay behind to discuss "magic exchange and cooperation" with Grandpa Makarov, Goku decided to leave them to it. He had zero interest in administrative or academic diplomacy.
It wasn't until evening that Dumbledore finally emerged from the Master's office. Judging by the twinkle in his eye and the smile on his face, Goku could tell the talks had gone incredibly well.
Goku then tucked Grandpa Dumbledore safely into his traveling box and used Apparition to return to Hogwarts.
After a massive feast prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves, Goku followed Dumbledore's instructions that night to complete the next stage of the ritual. Then, it was a game of waiting for the heavens to break.
The next day: Sunny.
The third day: Overcast.
The fourth day: Partly cloudy.
The fifth day: Light drizzle.
Early on the morning of the sixth day, the sky turned a bruised purple. Thick clouds blotted out the sun, and the air crackled with the roar of thunder as a torrential downpour began.
Goku and Dumbledore immediately Apparated to a large tree in the Forbidden Forest.
Goku moved his tail aside, which had been marking the spot, and unearthed the crystal vial. Under the strobe-like flashes of lightning, the liquid inside had turned a deep, mysterious blood-red.
"Begin!" Dumbledore whispered.
Goku pointed his finger at his heart and recited the incantation:
"Amato Animo Animato Animagus!"
The moment the words left his lips, he popped the cork and downed the blood-red potion in one gulp.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
As soon as the potion hit his stomach, Goku felt his heart rate skyrocket, mirroring the sensation of being exposed to moonlight during a full moon. But this time, he didn't hear just one heartbeat—he heard two.
Goku let out a gutteral roar. His body began to expand at a terrifying rate. His clothes, his traveling box, and his belongings seemed to dissolve, merging into the dark, coarse fur that was erupting across his skin.