"Taka-dono, Oyakata-sama has been waiting for you in the study."
Early the next morning, just as Taka stepped out of his guest room, he saw the Kakushi member who had been waiting for some time.
He smoothed his disheveled hair: "....Does Oyakata-sama always get up this early?"
"Yes.... Due to his illness, Oyakata-sama's sleep is intermittent," The member replied respectfully. "When the pain comes, he gets up to work. When it doesn't, he tries to sleep a little more...."
'So strong-willed,' Taka thought.
"Lead the way."
The light inside the study was somewhat dim, filled with a strong medicinal scent.
Kagaya's condition was relatively stable today. He sat quietly on the tatami, listening to his black-haired son Kiriya recite a lesson.
Sensing the sliding door open, he looked towards Taka and chuckled softly: "Who has come? From the footsteps and breathing, it must be Taka."
"Good day, Ubuyashiki-sama."
"No need to be formal. Please sit."
His sightless yet deeply wise eyes looked curiously at Taka: "Requesting a private meeting must mean you have something very important to discuss."
Because it had been too late the previous night, and he heard Kagaya had already retired, Taka had given up on meeting him. He hadn't expected this early morning arrangement.
"It's about reinforcements." Taka straightened his back. He wasn't one for euphemistic language. "For the final battle, we should use every useful force we can."
Kagaya tilted his head slightly: "That is correct, but Taka, what reinforcements do you refer to?"
"Upper Rank Three, Akaza."
Thud.
Kiriya's textbook, in his shock, fell to the tatami. His eyes were full of disbelief.
Even Kagaya, who had weathered countless storms and possessed great depth of insight, widened his hollow eyes slightly at this moment. His expression froze for several seconds.
"Oh? Cooperating with a Kizuki.... That does surprise me a little..."
Upper Rank Three had survived for centuries, killed countless Hashira-level swordsmen, and was one of Muzan's most core combatants.
"Can you explain in detail?"
"He has already betrayed Kibutsuji Muzan...."
Taka briefly recounted how Hakuji, having regained his human memories, had supported him while he slew Doma, and how he had broken free from Muzan's control.
"....The demonic nature within him is fading. Although it's unclear if this condition is permanent, for now, his hatred for Muzan might be no less than ours." Taka said in a deep voice.
Kagaya fell into a long contemplation.
His fingers tapped lightly on his knees… a habit of his when pondering the most difficult problems.
"...To be honest, reason tells me this could be a demon's trap." He chuckled softly. "They are skilled at lying, pretending, stopping at nothing to achieve their goals."
"But using two Upper Moon Kizuki as bait.... Emotionally, I don't believe Muzan has such courage. Since he completed his betrayal of Muzan in your and Giyu's witnessed sight, it should be correct."
"Besides, this isn't an isolated case."
Taka was slightly surprised. He had expected to spend a great deal of effort explaining why a man-eating demon would rebel.
But hearing Oyakata-sama's last remark, he couldn't help but frown.
Kagaya sighed, his gaze turning towards the brilliant sunlight outside the window.
"Taka, there are some things I have never told everyone, not even the current Hashira."
"You experienced the matter with Nezuko, so you should understand that in the perception of most swordsmen, the opposition between demons and humans is irreconcilable. If that perception wavers, even a moment's hesitation in battle could lead to a swordsman's death."
Taka recalled reading in the Flame Hashira's Book that Yoriichi had let a female demon escape Muzan's control and was subsequently tried and expelled from the Demon Slayer Corps....
"Is that female demon still alive?"
"It seems you know of that incident.... Yes, her name is Tamayo."
"She was once an attendant close to Kibutsuji Muzan. But centuries ago, when Muzan was at death's door under Tsugikuni Yoriichi's blade, Tamayo seized the opportunity and successfully broke free from the shackles of that bloodline."
"Now she lurks in human society, searching for a way to oppose Muzan. I have been watching her, simply haven't made contact yet."
Taka had thought his discovery of Akaza's strangeness was a monumental secret. He never imagined the Ubuyashiki Family had already been secretly making similar attempts.
"I see. It seems my concern was unnecessary." Taka breathed a sigh of relief.
"No, not unnecessary at all." Kagaya said seriously. "Tamayo's situation was an extreme coincidence, a miracle produced by the intervention of a nearly divine being like Tsugikuni Yoriichi."
"But Akaza's case is different. According to your description, he relied on emotional fragments from his human period to forcibly shatter Muzan's mental brainwashing from within. This shows that Kibutsuji Muzan's absolute control over his subordinates is not unbreakable."
A glint of sharpness flashed in Kagaya's eyes… the decisiveness and wisdom of a commander evident in that moment.
"We cannot waste this opportunity."
"What do you mean?" Taka asked.
"He calls himself Hakuji now, correct?" Kagaya smiled faintly, a hint of cunning in his tone. "Taka, I want you to contact him again… not to immediately charge into the demon's nest, but I need his intelligence."
Taka's eyes flickered.
Indeed, the Demon Slayer Corps' greatest disadvantage currently was the information asymmetry.
Where exactly was Muzan? What were the Blood Demon Arts of the remaining Upper Moons? What were their weaknesses? Did Muzan's hiding place have special defensive mechanisms?
This confidential intelligence could only be obtained by human swordsmen at the cost of their lives. Even obtaining just a little could reduce countless casualties.
Kagaya coughed lightly. Kiriya quickly stepped forward to pat his back.
He waved his hand and continued: "I need him to compile, as detailed as possible, the abilities, locations, and characteristics of the demons under Muzan's command. If possible, it would be best to also inform us of Muzan's own abilities. This will be crucial in the coming final battle."
"Will he cooperate?" Taka was somewhat doubtful.
A martial fanatic like Akaza, even if he betrayed Muzan, might still disdain doing something like betraying others.
"He will." Kagaya said with certainty. "He has already remembered those things he wanted to protect, but which were ultimately destroyed by his identity as a demon."
"His only desire now is to put an end to this century-long nightmare. And that ending can only be achieved by joining forces with us."
Taka was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Understood. I will send word to Hayama."
"Taka, this matter must be kept strictly confidential."
Kagaya cautioned him, also making sure Kiriya listened carefully. "Even the other Hashira should temporarily not be informed.... Obanai and Sanemi, their hatred for demons is ingrained in their bones. If they learn we are in contact with Upper Rank Three, it might cause unnecessary turmoil."
"Before the final battle, the Demon Slayer Corps must be a solid, unified force."
"I understand." Taka stood up and bowed to Kagaya. "Then I will take my leave. I will also do my best to cooperate with the Hashira Training."
Listening to Taka's departing footsteps, Kagaya's illness fully manifested.
He leaned against his cushion, coughing violently. Blood stained the silk handkerchief in his hand.
"Father...." The children beside him called out worriedly.
"It's alright. I can still hold on." Kagaya murmured to himself: "A century of fated destiny, finally to be completely ended in this generation...."
Meanwhile, several hundred miles away, in some remote mountain forest, a young man in Demon Slayer Corps' uniform, with black hair, cyan eyes, and a magatama pendant around his neck, sat on a cliff edge.
"Tch.... I heard that good-for-nothing joined others to defeat an Upper Moon? How ridiculous...."
"What's with this big training camp.... I'll have to watch that good-for-nothing strutting around in front of me? How disgusting...."
He looked displeased at the moon in the night sky, the resentment in his heart growing stronger.
A gust of cold wind blew.
The young man suddenly felt a heavy killing intent rise behind him. Uneasily turning around, his eyes widened in terror.
It was a tall swordsman with a high ponytail, the killing intent radiating from him almost dripping with darkness...
The most terrifying thing was, this guy actually had six eyes??
Seeing the patterns in those scarlet pupils, the young man trembled, unable even to draw his Nichirin Sword, instinctively wanting to kneel and beg for mercy.
This tall swordsman looked down at him and spoke in a tone thick with archaic accent: "You, do you wish to become stronger?"
"That lord is in need of subordinates. Become a demon."