Chapter 23

## The Boar Bares Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps

**The Boar Bares Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps** (猪 (いのしし) は牙 (きば) を剥 (む) き善 (ぜん) 逸 (いつ) は眠 (ねむ) る, *Inoshishi wa Kiba o Muki: Zen'itsu wa Nemuru*?) is the twenty-third chapter of Koyoharu Gotoge's Kimetsu no Yaiba.

## Summary

Zenitsu immediately yells at the appearance of the demon, desperately telling it to stay back and that neither he nor Shoichi would taste good as they run away. It responds that he would not know how they'd taste if he didn't try, proceeding to chase and attack them. As they turn into a room, the demon tries to use its long tongue to grab them, missing and hitting a pot instead. With the room being a dead end and their exit blocked, Zenitsu begins begging for Shoichi to run away, though the boy does not deem it a wise decision. The Demon Slayer berates himself for being a coward and tries to find the courage to help save Shoichi.

As the demon enters the room, it threatens to devour his brain through his ear. This finally causes Zenitsu to become overwhelmed with fear and lose consciousness. As he slumps to the ground, Shoichi shakes him to get his attention but is shocked to see him genuinely asleep. The demon becomes confused seeing the unusual situation but does not dwell further, extending its tongue to grab Shoichi.

Suddenly, the demon's tongue is cut and Zenitsu stands up. As Shoichi and the demon watch in confusion, Zenitsu bows down and begins to breathe. He uses the **Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash** to decapitate the demon in an instant. Shoichi gapes in shock as Zenitsu quickly wakes up and screams at the sight of the dead demon's head rolling next to him. The confused Demon Slayer misunderstands the situation and expresses extreme gratitude towards Shoichi for "*saving*" the pair, telling him he should've let him know earlier that he was so strong. The boy is at a loss for words and decides not to say anything, telling Zenitsu they should go on.

In a hallway of the house, the boar-masked Demon Slayer runs through, annoyed by the Drum Demon blowing him away despite his attempt to hunt it down and the inconvenience of the hallway's structure. A hand suddenly appears and tries to grab him, but the swordsman ducks and faces a heavy-set demon, who praises his mobility despite being human and how he would be worthy meat. Without hesitation, the Demon Slayer jumps straight at the demon and effortlessly cuts off its arms, using his self-taught **Beast Breathing, Third Fang: Devour** to decapitate it. He then uses the body as a springboard and continues his way throughout the mansion, yelling "*Comin' Through!*"

The Drum Demon, alone in a room, mutters to himself about "marechi", stating that the power and energy given by eating humans with this blood equivalent to devouring a hundred humans. He tells himself that he needs to eat more of the rare-blooded humans in order to return to his position in the Twelve Kizuki, before rolling his right eye to reveal a mark over his former rank, Lower Rank Six.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Zenitsu Agatsuma
* Tongue Demon
* Shoichi
* Inosuke Hashibira
* Horned Demon
* Kyogai

## Events

* Zenitsu Agatsuma vs Tongue Demon.
* Zenitsu is revealed to be a powerful Demon Slayer despite his cowardice.
* Unknown Demon Slayer vs Horned Demon.
* The unknown Demon Slayer fights with a self-taught Breathing Style.
* The Drum Demon is revealed to be the former Lower Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki.