Moonlight filtered through stone openings as Akira entered the natural amphitheater carved from living rock.
Phosphorescent fungi provided dim illumination that revealed dozens of figures waiting in organized formations—too organized for wild creatures, too coordinated for coincidence.
"Teacher."
The voices came from dozens of throats as red eyes focused on her with hungry intelligence.
"We've been waiting."
"Report."
Her human warmth vanished completely, replaced by cold authority that made the air itself seem heavier.
The transformation was absolute—from Corps member to something else entirely.
"The scarred one suspects," a demon with unnervingly human features stepped forward, its voice carrying the cultured tones of educated nobility. "His questions grow more pointed."
"Expected. Tanjiro's instincts are acute."
Akira settled onto the stone platform like a queen taking her throne, amber eyes reflecting fungal light with predatory intensity.
"What of his sister?"
"The connection strengthens. She hears us in her dreams now."
"Excellent. And the intelligence gathering?"
"Corps patrol patterns mapped. Supply routes identified."
Another demon unrolled carved stone tablets covered in detailed observations.
"Three more installations located and observed."
"Casualties?"
"None. Your instructions were followed precisely—observe, don't engage."
Akira's smile was predatory, calculating, terrible in its cold satisfaction.
"Perfect. We're not ready for open conflict. Not yet."
"When?"
The question came from multiple voices, eager and hungry for violence that had been too long restrained.
"Patience. First, we secure the prize. Then we demonstrate what evolution really means."
She gestured for privacy, and the gathering began to disperse through multiple tunnel exits.
But one figure remained—the demon with human features whose voice carried authority second only to her own.
"Show me the Nezuko files," Akira commanded.
"Her transformation was unprecedented. Human to demon to human again."
The lieutenant's voice carried clinical fascination as it spread out detailed observations.
"Our experiments haven't replicated the process."
"Because you're thinking backwards. She didn't become human again—she became something new."
Akira traced patterns on the stone charts with predatory focus.
"Something that can access both natures at will."
"The test subjects continue to reject the process. Seven failures this week alone."
"Then we need to understand what made her different. What made her stable."
"Her brother's influence?"
"Possibly. Or perhaps she was never fully demon to begin with."
Akira's eyes gleamed in the phosphorescent light.
"Either way, she's the key to everything we're working toward."
"And if she resists recruitment?"
"She won't."
Akira's confidence was absolute, unshakeable.
"The network calls to its own. She'll come to us willingly."
"What about the scarred one? He won't let her go easily."
"Tanjiro's devotion to his sister is admirable. It's also exploitable."
Her smile turned cold, calculating.
"He'll do anything to protect her. Even if it means making impossible choices."
The lieutenant nodded, filing away information with mechanical precision.
"When do we make contact?"
"Soon. She's already hearing us in her dreams. The connection strengthens daily."
"And the Corps?"
"Leave them to me. They see what they expect to see—a fellow slayer helping demons find peace."
Akira's laugh echoed off stone walls like breaking glass.
"Their compassion is their greatest weakness."
The sound of her laughter lingered in the cavern long after the words faded, a promise of schemes set in motion and destinies about to collide in ways none of the Corps could imagine.