Chương 32: Inviting the Flame Hashira

"Aaaaaah!" Hysterical screams and desperate shouts mixed together and rang across the battlefield. Akaza, Rengoku, Tanjiro, and Inosuke were all fighting with everything they had. At the edge of the field, the first ray of sunlight pierced the dawn, spilling like golden liquid over plants washed by morning dew.

"Aaaah! The sun is rising!" Akaza's golden pupils filled with terror. The first ray of sunlight fell into his eyes, and he felt his body melt like a snowflake thrown into flame. Dead. Dead. Dead. It was over. Translucent flames burned across Akaza's separated limbs. His body gradually turned to ash and disappeared.

"Aaaaaah!"

"Oh, right. Muzan, I heard you can see what demons see when they die." Just as Akaza was about to completely turn to ash, a playful smile appeared on Cael's lips.

"I know what the Blue Spider Lily really is. Its true name is Lycoris..." Akaza dissolved into ash before the sentence could finish.

"We won." Everyone released the breath they had been holding. Tanjiro and Inosuke collapsed on the ground. Tanjiro clutched the wound on his abdomen, which had opened and started bleeding again.

"We won. The sun rose. We held on until the end. You both did well, Kamado boy, Inosuke." Rengoku wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled brightly. He did not show pain despite his terrible injuries. Showing pain would only make others uneasy and sad.

"Mr. Rengoku, please stop talking. Use your breathing to recover." Tanjiro's voice choked with tears.

"Hah. That was really close." Cael wiped sweat from his forehead. Fighting people was far more tiring than fighting monsters.

"Mr. Cael, if you had not warned us, all our effort would have been wasted." Rengoku looked at Cael, who was still standing on the battlefield. He truly did not know how to thank him. No amount of thanks felt equal to this debt.

"Rengoku. You should be resting with injuries that bad, but I cannot wait to invite you." Cael looked at the man shining like the sun and held out his hand with admiration. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Become my companions. Become part of Hestia Familia." To Cael, the Hashira and the brilliant heroes of this world were treasures beyond measure. It was safe to assume that each of them carried at least two rare Skills, and their personalities and humanity shone brightly. If people like them joined Hestia Familia, then given enough time, they would inevitably become top-class adventurers.

"Become your family? Hestia Familia? Mr. Cael, could you explain what that means?" Rengoku asked in confusion.

"I will take it step by step." The corner of Cael's mouth lifted. Starting now, he might no longer be the lone member of Hestia Familia.

"I come from Orario. You can think of it as something like Takamagahara, the High Plain of Heaven, a place where gods and their Familia children live. Of course, many ordinary people live there too."

"Takamagahara? That Takamagahara?" Tanjiro exclaimed, looking completely stunned. The legendary place where gods lived.

"What's that?" Inosuke tilted his boar-head mask, question marks practically floating around him.

"No wonder Mr. Cael is so strong," Rengoku said.

"Mr. Rengoku, you are not shocked?" Tanjiro looked at the Flame Hashira, who still smiled brightly and showed no shock.

"If demons exist, then gods existing is not difficult to accept." Rengoku spoke as if it were only natural. Since demons existed, then gods from human myth were not hard to accept either.

"The gods descended from Heaven to Orario and granted Falna to the children of the mortal world. Those children then became members of their Familia." Cael continued.

"Falna?" Tanjiro blinked.

"It is the only thing gods can grant their children. Those who receive Falna have the shackles on their potential unlocked. Their hidden potential is released, and they gain endless possibility."

"Your potential, abilities, and strength are all made concrete as values. That may sound abstract, so here. This parchment has my abilities printed on it." As he explained, Cael handed the parchment to Rengoku. He trusted Rengoku's character. Besides, if these people might become Familia members, it did not matter.

"I see. So this makes a person's potential and abilities visible. Everything is clear." Rengoku looked at the contents on the parchment in amazement.

"Mr. Cael truly is strong." A blessing that could make every ability visible like this truly was worthy of the gods. Mr. Cael had received a god's Falna and unlocked the shackles of his potential. Amazing.

"So strong." Tanjiro stared at the parchment in a daze. The Skill descriptions were incredible, and some of them were difficult to understand.

"What? What does it say? I can't read!" Inosuke scratched his boar-head mask, completely lost.

"My Level in Orario is the lowest, Lv. 1. Above that are Lv. 2 through Lv. 10. Once you gain enough great feats and reach the limit of your current potential, you can Level Up." Cael raised a finger and explained seriously.

"What is a great feat?" Inosuke scratched his mask.

"A great feat is an act that makes even gods marvel. For example, the act of slaying an evil demon and saving so many people just now. Defeating an enemy stronger than yourself, standing alone against a thousand on a battlefield. Those are great feats. The deeds of heroes."

"Once your great feats are enough, you can break past your current limits and forge a stronger container for your potential. That means becoming stronger and continuously breaking through your limits until you eventually reach Lv. 10." Cael added casually,"By the way, that Upper Rank Three just now was only at the upper end of Lv. 2."

"What? That terrifying guy was only the second-lowest Level? How strong is this ten-Level thing? Do you become a god?" Inosuke jumped up and shouted.

"I cannot even imagine how strong that is," Tanjiro said, already dizzy. An Upper Rank demon was only around Lv. 2.

"Heh. You guessed it. Lv. 7 and above are practically demigods among adventurers. Lv. 10 would naturally be godlike. That is why I call my goddess Lady Hestia." Cael looked at Rengoku, whose bright smile now hid visible shock, and laughed playfully.

"My goddess only recently descended from Heaven to Orario. She has only one Familia member: me. We are still in the starting phase. If you join now, you will be founding members."

"And becoming a Familia member will not affect your role in the Demon Slayer Corps. Those are heroic deeds. My goddess would support you more than anyone. Become stronger, kill more demons, and protect more people." At this point, Cael held out both hands and invited them sincerely.

"Rengoku, you are undoubtedly a human hero. Tanjiro, Boar-head, you two are growing heroes too. Join Hestia Familia. Become a god's family. Become my brothers."