"King Kai! My old friend, you've got that look again."** The voice crackled through the celestial void, sharp despite the distance. Goku slumped against the impossibly green grass of King Kai's tiny planet, bruised ribs aching under his shredded gi. He barely registered the tiny deity hopping nervously beside him, antennae twitching. "Old Kai?" King Kai squeaked, wiping sweat from his forehead. "What look? It's been a millennium! Why are you calling *now*?"
The spectral image shimmered into focus above the cracked ground where Beerus's casual backhand had slammed Goku moments ago. Old Kai's wizened face filled the projection, eyes narrowed with uncharacteristic urgency. He ignored King Kai completely, staring directly at Goku's battered form. "Son Goku," he rasped, the sound like dry leaves scraping stone. "That purple cat just toyed with you. Humiliated you. His ki felt like... oblivion." A bony finger jabbed toward Goku's chest. "You need more than angel tricks or god rituals now. Those paths are closed."
Goku pushed himself upright, wincing as fresh pain lanced through his shoulder. He remembered the sheer impossibility of Beerus's speed, the effortless way his punches shattered bones Super Saiyan 3 couldn't protect. Earth, Bulma, everyone... they were defenseless. Whis had said Beerus was heading straight there. Desperation choked him tighter than any injury. "More?" Goku gasped, blood trickling from his lip. "How? He's leagues beyond anything I've faced!"
Old Kai's wrinkled lips curled into a thin, knowing smirk. "Beyond Super Saiyan God? Yes. Beyond *everything*?" He leaned closer in the projection, his gaze intense, almost predatory. "There's something else. Something ancient. Forgotten. It sleeps deeper than rage... deeper than divinity itself." He paused, letting the silence hang thick in the thin air of the afterlife planet. "It requires embracing what you are, Saiyan. Not transcending it." King Kai sputtered, utterly confused. "Ancient?
The old man's eyes snapped to Goku's lower back, a deliberate, heavy gesture. "A Saiyan's tail," he rasped, the word slicing through the tension like a blade. "You cut yours off long ago. Foolish." Goku instinctively touched the base of his spine, phantom memory recalling the weight and nuisance of that furry appendage. His childhood instincts surged – the primal connection to the Oozaru form, the raw, untamed fury buried beneath his cheerful facade. "My... tail?" Goku breathed, disbelief warring with a flicker of terrifying possibility. "But that's just... beast stuff!"
"Exactly!" Old Kai hissed, leaning forward until his spectral face seemed inches from Goku's. "It's the *source*! The Oozaru holds power, yes, but uncontrolled rage. You ascended beyond its chaos, remember? Super Saiyan." He jabbed a bony finger emphatically. "Now imagine harnessing that ancient, primal ki consciously. Mastering the beast *within* the Saiyan. Not losing yourself to the ape... but becoming its master." The implication hung heavy: a transformation born not of gods, but of untamed heritage.
King Kai gasped, antennae vibrating wildly. "Are you suggesting he deliberately cultivates his tail? Reverts? That's madness!" But Goku wasn't hearing him. His mind raced. He recalled the overwhelming, destructive force of the Great Ape, the sheer physicality of it. Could that raw, savage energy be refined? Could the tail truly be a conduit to something... more? Something capable of standing against Beerus's void-like aura? The desperate hope in his eyes hardened into fierce determination. "Where?" Goku demanded, pushing himself fully upright, pain momentarily forgotten. "Where do I get it back?"
Old Kai's spectral form shimmered violently. "My realm. NOW." Before King Kai could utter another shocked protest, the projection flared blindingly white. Goku felt a violent, stomach-lurching tug, the familiar green grass vanishing as reality twisted around him. He stumbled onto cool, polished obsidian stone, the air thick with incense and ancient dust. Towering, impossibly tall shelves crammed with glowing scrolls filled his vision, stretching into shadowy infinity. Old Kai stood solidly before him now, short and wizened, clad in his strange robe, clutching a pair of rusty metal shears taller than Goku himself.
The old god slammed the monstrous shears down with a resonant *CLANG* that echoed through the endless library, the sound vibrating in Goku's aching bones. Dust motes danced violently in the shafts of pale light filtering down. "Off," Old Kai commanded, his voice sharp and devoid of his usual eccentricity. His eyes, sharp as obsidian shards, locked onto Goku's tattered orange gi. "All of it. The robe impedes the connection." Goku blinked, momentarily bewildered. Training? Transformation? He needed to shed clothes? A flush crept up his neck. "But... why?" he stammered, instinctively clutching the torn fabric over his chest.
Old Kai scoffed, a harsh sound like grinding stone. "Prudishness is weakness, Saiyan! The primal power flows freely through flesh and fur, unbound by cloth. Your heritage isn't woven into cotton!" He gestured impatiently with the giant shears. "Beerus arrives at Capsule Corp as we speak! Whis merely watches. Bulma screams." The words struck Goku like a physical blow. The desperate image of Bulma terrified, Earth trembling under the Destroyer's bored wrath, burned away his hesitation. Grimacing, Goku began unbuckling his weighted boots, his movements quick, mechanical. He ripped the shredded gi top off, tossing it aside onto the cool obsidian floor. The air prickled against his bare skin, thick with ancient dust and ozone, smelling faintly of scroll parchment and something metallic underneath. His calloused fingers hesitated at the waistband of his pants, knuckles white.
"No time for modesty, boy!" Old Kai snarled, grabbing the monstrous shears with surprising strength. He lunged forward, not towards Goku, but towards a towering shelf crammed with glowing violet scrolls. With a grunt, he sliced through a thick, pulsating cord binding several scrolls together. As the cord parted with a sharp *SNAP*, a surge of raw, golden energy erupted – not ki, but pure creation essence – filling the vast library with blinding light and a low hum Goku felt in his molars. The air crackled, lifting the hairs on Goku's arms. "Dragon Balls would grant perfection," Old Kai yelled over the din, sweat beading on his brow as he wrestled the struggling shears, "but summoning Shenron takes *time*. This? Severing the bindings of ancient Saiyan lore releases trapped potential!" He gestured wildly at the swirling golden energy coalescing into a shimmering vortex near Goku's feet. "It's crude! Unstable! But it holds the echo of your tail's lost birthright!"
Goku stared into the swirling vortex. It wasn't gentle Kotu-Sama training light. This was hungry. Primal. It pulsed like a heart buried deep in the earth, throbbing against the soles of his bare feet. Before he could question it, Old Kai lunged. Not towards the vortex, but at *him*. The wizened god moved with shocking speed, bony fingers digging harshly into the base of Goku's spine where the phantom tail ached most fiercely. Goku grunted, muscles locking tight against the unexpected intrusion. Old Kai's touch burned – not with heat, but with a deep, resonating pressure that vibrated through Goku's bones. "Focus, boy!" Old Kai barked, his voice strained. "Feel the anchor point! The root your blade severed!" He hauled backward with impossible strength, pulling *inward*, not outward. Agony erupted – a sharp, crystalline pain radiating up Goku's spine as if Old Kai were physically dragging the buried nerve endings, the dormant genetic memory, back toward the surface. Sweat plastered Goku's brow instantly, his teeth gritting against a scream. It felt less like growing something new, and more like tearing a forgotten limb out of quicksand.
The rusty shears flashed in Old Kai's other hand, reflecting the vortex's wild gold light. With a grunt, he slammed the heavy blades *downwards*, not onto Goku, but onto the obsidian floor right where Goku's heels met the pulsating energy pool. The *CLANG* was deafening in the confined space between towering shelves, sending fresh shivers up Goku's legs. Instantly, the swirling vortex surged upwards, engulfing Goku's lower body. It wasn't liquid or flame, but pure, condensed potential – a million tiny pinpricks of raw Saiyan heritage tearing at his skin. He felt it *seeking* the point Old Kai gripped, drawn inexorably towards that agonizing point of pressure at his tailbone. The air crackled with ozone and the scent of singed hair. Goku roared, muscles straining against the dual assault – the internal pull of Old Kai's impossible grip and the external invasion of the vortex's power forcing its way *in*.
A sickening *pop*, deep within his pelvis, echoed louder than the vortex's hum in Goku's own skull. Not bone breaking, but something fundamental shifting, unlocking. The agony intensified tenfold, blinding white-hot, driving him to his knees onto the cool stone. Yet beneath the pain bloomed a terrifying, undeniable sensation: *pressure*. Building. Swelling. Like a dam cracking under torrential rain. He gasped, tears blurring his vision. Through the haze, he saw it – a faint, ruddy glow emanating from just above where Old Kai's claw-like fingers dug in. Not fur yet, but concentrated ki, dense and primal, forcing its way *out*. It stretched the skin taut, visible even through the swirling golden chaos engulfing him. Old Kai's eyes blazed with fierce triumph. "There!" he rasped, his voice raw. "The seed awakens! Feed it! Pour your rage into that knot! Think of Beerus! Think of Earth!"
Goku squeezed his eyes shut. The Destroyer's bored smirk flashed behind his eyelids – the effortless swipe that shattered his ribs, the casual threat to Earth, Bulma's terrified scream echoing in Old Kai's warning. Fury, pure and unadulterated, hotter than any Super Saiyan transformation, erupted from his core. He channeled it *downwards*, away from his usual chest-bursting power-up, focusing it like a laser onto that agonizing point of pressure and swelling heat at the base of his spine. The golden vortex flared violently, its energy surging into him with renewed frenzy. The ruddy glow intensified, brightening to a fierce crimson. A tearing sensation, jagged and visceral, ripped through him. He felt it push *out*, stretching, elongating amidst the vortex's torrent. Old Kai released his grip with a final, sharp tug. "NOW!" he bellowed. Goku's eyes snapped open. Stunned, he stared down. Where agony had been, now pulsed raw, vibrant life. Coiled tightly against his lower back, slick with golden energy and a faint trickle of blood, lay a thick, ruddy-brown monkey's tail. It twitched violently, alive with untamed power.
Old Kai didn't let him marvel. With a sharp, resonant *CLAP* that echoed like thunder through the scroll-stuffed library, he broke Goku's fixation. Dust motes danced frantically in the sudden stillness. "Listen, boy!" Old Kai snapped, his voice cutting through the lingering hum of the vortex. He pointed a gnarled finger not at Goku's tail, but upward, towards the dusty, vaulted ceiling – or perhaps beyond it. "The Beast lives! But mastering it? That requires *control*. Beerus descends upon Capsule Corp NOW. Whis merely yawns." The image of Bulma's terrified face flashed again, galvanizing Goku. His tail lashed, striking the obsidian floor with a sharp *crack*. "What do I do?" Goku demanded, his voice thick with the unfamiliar sensation vibrating through his spine.
"Earth," Old Kai rasped, urgency sharpening his tone. "Get there. Instantly. Ignore the Dragon Balls, ignore Whis's smug glances." He leaned in, eyes blazing. "Look at the Moon, Saiyan. Force the Oozaru out. Let the Beast ROAR." Goku inhaled sharply – turning into the Giant Ape willingly? After spending years mastering forms *beyond* it? Old Kai saw the hesitation. "Fool!" he barked. "You sought godhood? This is deeper! Become the Ape... but DO NOT LOSE YOURSELF TO IT!" His bony hand shot out, gripping Goku's wrist with surprising strength. "Feel the tail! Anchor your mind to it! When the rage peaks, when the Beast bellows... *pull back*. Not towards humanity – that weakness is gone! Pull back towards your Saiyan core! Contain the Beast *within* the warrior!" The implication was staggering: hold the Oozaru's devastating power compacted into his Saiyan form. "Failure," Old Kai hissed, releasing him, "and Earth dies screaming."
Goku nodded, grim determination settling over him. He *felt* the tail now, a thick cord of primal energy humming at his command. It wasn't a burden; it was a lever, a key. He clenched his fists, focusing his ki – not outward, but *inward*, wrapping it around the base of the tail, a tether for his consciousness. "Earth," he growled. Gathering the raw, untamed ki flooding his revived Saiyan heritage, he focused. The library blurred. The incense smell vanished, replaced instantly by the sharp tang of salt spray and ozone. He reappeared mid-air, hundreds of feet above Bulma's gleaming blue yacht, the vast ocean churning beneath him. Below, chaos erupted. Beerus floated lazily near the deck, idly flicking a finger. A section of the yacht's hull exploded into splinters. Bulma screamed, scrambling back. Whis observed impassively nearby. And overhead, impossibly bright against the twilight sky, hung the full Moon, bathing everything in cold, silvery light. Goku locked his gaze onto it. The Beast stirred. He took a breath… and surrendered.
The silver lunar light washed over him, triggering a cellular detonation. Bones groaned, muscles tore and reformed with sickening speed. Fur, thick and coarse, erupted from his skin – not brown, but a blazing, radiant *gold*. His frame ballooned outward monstrously, shredding the remnants of his pants. A guttural, deafening ROAR shattered the twilight calm, vibrating the ocean surface into frantic ripples. He was the Golden Great Ape, towering over the yacht, dwarfing Beerus. Primal fury, millennia deep, flooded his mind – a crimson tide threatening to drown Son Goku utterly. He saw Beerus, tiny and purple below. The urge to crush, to rend, to *obliterate* pulsed like a drumbeat in his massive chest. His colossal fist clenched, ready to pound the yacht and its occupants into oblivion.
*Anchor yourself!* The command echoed through the crimson haze, faint but insistent. Gohan. Chi-Chi. Bulma's terrified face flashed amidst the fury. Piccolo, Krillin, Vegeta – *friends*. The image of Gohan's small, trusting smile pierced the primal fog. Chi-Chi's fiery temper, her fierce love. Bulma's brilliance screaming defiance even now. He *felt* them. He felt the thick, powerful tail lashing wildly behind him, a tangible connection to his Saiyan core amidst the Oozaru's overwhelming rage. With monumental effort, Goku seized that anchor point. He didn't fight the Beast; he pulled *inward*. He imagined collapsing the towering, roaring ape form – not extinguishing its power, but *compressing* it. Squeezing that universe-shattering rage down, down, down into the vessel of the Saiyan warrior. He visualized the golden fur retracting, the colossal skeleton compacting, the tidal wave of fury channeled into focused, incandescent power contained within his own frame. Agony ripped through him as reality warped, resisting the impossible containment. Golden light flared blindingly, outlining a silhouette shrinking violently against the moon. Fur receded like a wave pulling back from the shore, bones compacting with audible cracks.
The blinding compression ceased. Where the Golden Great Ape had roared, Son Goku stood suspended above the churning ocean. But he was utterly transformed. Gone was the familiar orange gi. Instead, thick, crimson fur like living flame covered his torso, shoulders, and arms, leaving only the sculpted planes of his stomach bare. His legs were clad in dark, durable pants the colour of deep shadows, seamlessly formed, and sturdy black boots reached his calves. Power radiated from him in palpable waves, making the very air hum.
Long, jet-black hair, wilder and thicker than any Super Saiyan state, cascaded past his shoulders, framing a face altered by profound power. His eyes were startling: piercing gold irises containing pupils that burned with intense light, surrounded not by the usual whites, but by sharp, dramatic strokes of deep crimson eyeshadow that swept upwards towards his temples. It gave him a feral, ancient gaze, utterly alien yet intensely focused. His revived tail, thick and covered in the same deep crimson fur, lashed behind him with controlled, whip-like energy, a constant reminder of the primal source now harnessed.
Below, Bulma's scream choked off mid-wail, replaced by stunned disbelief. Beerus, who had been lazily preparing another flick towards the yacht's engines, paused, his bored expression finally cracking. One eyebrow slowly arched upwards. Whis's perpetual calm vanished; his eyes widened a fraction, the slightest hint of genuine surprise flickering across his features as he scrutinized the strange aura – a volatile fusion of divine-level potency and raw, untamed Saiyan heritage. The ocean itself seemed to hold its breath.
Goku clenched his fists, feeling energy crackle along the crimson fur covering his arms. It wasn't just immense power; it was *alive*, responsive, humming with the ferocity of the Oozaru yet utterly under his command. His golden-red eyes locked onto Beerus below. A fierce, predatory grin spread across his face, sharp and utterly devoid of fear. "Alright, Lord Beerus," Goku called, his voice deeper, rougher, resonating with an ancient timbre. "Let's see if *this* is interesting enough for you." He dropped into a battle stance, the air screaming around him as he plummeted towards the Destroyer.