"There it is!"
As the Flying Nimbus tore forward at full throttle, a very conspicuous island soon appeared in Goku's vision.
Why was it so conspicuous?
Because it wasn't just any ordinary island; it was a landmass largely covered by a colossal, sky-piercing tree. From a great distance away, the first thing one saw was that massive tree, which appeared significantly larger than the island itself.
Moreover, Goku could sense powerful energy fluctuations radiating from that direction.
"That is the Tenrou Tree. It possesses immense magical power and automatically helps shroud the island's existence.
Only those who bear our Guild's mark can see Tenrou Island. Without a guide from the Guild's wizards, it is nearly impossible for outsiders to discover it."
Mirajane gave a brief explanation of Tenrou Island's unique properties.
"The fighting has already started!"
As the Nimbus reached the skies above the island, Goku heard the sounds of explosions echoing from all corners of the land. An excited expression flashed across his face. Mirajane's expression, however, turned pale.
"Something's wrong... why are there so many powerful magical signatures?"
She could sense combat fluctuations across the entire island at the S-Class level, and some even beyond that.
This meant that Master Makarov and the others were definitely fighting more than just Grimoire Heart. Grimoire Heart alone simply did not possess that many S-Class level masters.
At that moment, Goku released Dumbledore from the capsule. Dumbledore showed little surprise at the news.
"It seems it was indeed a trap."
"Grandpa Dumbledore, what do we do now?"
Goku was itching to dive into battle, but he knew he couldn't be impulsive right now; the priority was saving people. Dumbledore turned to Mirajane.
"Miss Mirajane, how is your combat capability?"
"I... I can't fight right now."
A look of shame crossed Mirajane's face. She had originally been an S-Class wizard whose strength rivaled Erza's, but due to the trauma of her sister's death during a mission, she suffered from a psychological block.
Even though her body held immense magical power, she could only perform support magic and was unable to participate in true combat.
"It doesn't matter. You stay here and take charge of caring for the wounded."
Dumbledore offered a kind, grandfatherly smile before looking at Goku.
"You should be able to sense everyone's Ki. Find the person whose Ki is the weakest, and we will Apparate directly to them. You deal with the enemies, and I will be responsible for bringing the victims back here for treatment. We will push through rapidly, solving the enemies one by one."
He chose not to split up. Mirajane had almost no combat power, and his own strength in this world was likely around the level of the Ten Wizard Saints at best.
Given the current chaos, splitting up wouldn't be as effective as centering the operation on Goku.
By using Goku's Ki-sensing to pinpoint every person on Tenrou Island, they could exert overwhelming force. Dumbledore would act as the "extraction team," using healing magic to stabilize the wounded before handing them over to Mirajane.
"Understood!"
Goku immediately closed his eyes. Using the 8th Form of Ki Breathing, he rapidly expanded his sensory range until it blanketed the entire island. He had memorized everyone's Ki during their previous meeting, so he was able to accurately lock onto their positions.
"Grandpa Makarov, Natsu, and Lucy are in danger!"
Goku's eyes snapped open. He and Dumbledore vanished instantly using Apparition.
The amount of Ki didn't strictly represent the power level of this world's wizards, as they trained Magic Power rather than Ki. However, it served as a reflection of their life force. He sensed the Ki signatures of Makarov, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy clustered together—meaning the three humans and the cat were in one spot.
But Makarov's Ki was far lower than usual; it was faint, like a flickering candle in the wind. This meant Makarov was gravely injured and in mortal danger if not treated immediately.
Similarly, Natsu and Lucy's signatures were significantly diminished, indicating they had suffered serious wounds.
In front of a waterfall on the western side of Tenrou Island, the Vice-Commander of Grimoire Heart, Bluenote Stinger, stood atop a high cliff. He looked down coldly at several Fairy Tail wizards who were pinned to the ground by his Gravity Magic, unable to move a muscle.
"Although the old man told me to hunt you down, I have no interest in your lives. Just tell me where the grave of your First Master, Mavis, is located."
He knew that buried within Mavis's grave was one of the Three Great Magics of Fairy Tail: Fairy Glitter. His primary motivation for joining this operation was to obtain that legendary, devastating Super-Magic.
Of course, "sparing" the Fairy Tail wizards was a lie. He didn't fear Master Hades, but he didn't want to offend him either; once he got the information, he intended to follow Hades' orders and kill them all.
"We don't know anything about that!"
Lucy, covered in wounds, replied with a grimace. Early that morning, they had received a distress signal from Ultear and rushed to Tenrou Island. Who could have known it was a massive trap?
The "Ultear" who sent the SOS was actually a Celestial Spirit Wizard from the Oración Seis, utilizing the Gemini spirit to transform.
Consequently, as soon as they landed, they were ambushed by the combined forces of the three strongest Dark Guilds: Grimoire Heart, Oración Seis, and Tartaros.
They were completely overwhelmed in both numbers and strength.
They had been forced to scatter, hoping to turn the tide by picking off enemies individually. While the status of the others was unknown, she and Natsu had managed to defeat Angel (Sorano) of the Oración Seis and Zancrow of the Seven Kin of Purgatory.
Though they won, it was a pyrrhic victory. Their magic was drained, and their bodies were battered. Before they could recover, they stumbled into the battle between Master Makarov and Hades.
Makarov was no match for Hades and had been left near death. Lucy had used her wits to summon Virgo, who used her tunneling abilities to whisk the Master away at the last second.
However, they were then pursued by Hades' Vice-Commander, Bluenote. Bluenote's strength was on an entirely different level than the enemies they had fought before. A single application of his Gravity Magic had pinned them to the earth, rendering them helpless.
"You don't know, but your Master certainly does."
Bluenote shifted his gaze to the unconscious, heavily injured Makarov. He crooked his finger. A magic circle immediately appeared beneath Makarov, levitating his broken body toward the cliff.