Chapter 23

The Boar Bares Its Fangs - Zenitsu Sleeps (はをきはる) is the twenty-third chapter of Koyoharu Gotōge's Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Summary
Zenitsu yells at the appearance of the Tongue Demon, desperately telling it to stay back and that neither he nor Shoichi would taste good as they run away. The Demon responds that he would not know how they'd taste if he didn't try, proceeding to chase and attack them. After running into a room, Zenitsu collapses from fear and tells Shoichi to escape and leave him, however, the young boy immediately refuses and Zenitsu is further pressured with his responsibility to save Shoichi. As the Tongue Demon approaches them, Zenitsu falls asleep from both his fear and the tension of the situation. Shoichi begs him to wake up just as the Demon lashes out its tongue.

Suddenly, the Demon's tongue is cut and Zenitsu stands, his subconscious sustaining him as he goes into a stance and uses Thunder Breathing: First Form - Thunderclap and Flash to decapitate the Demon without hesitation. Shoichi gapes in shock as Zenitsu wakes up and screams at the sight of the dead Demon's head. 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. Shoichi is at a loss for words and decides not to say anything, telling Zenitsu they should go.

In a hallway of the house, Inosuke Hashibira runs through, annoyed by Kyogai blowing him away and the incovenience of the hallway's structure. A hand appears and tries to grab him, but the swordsman ducks and faces the Horned Demon, who praises his mobility despite being human and how he would be worthy meat. Inosuke jumps straight at the Demon and effortlessly cuts off its arms, using Beast Breathing: Third Fang - Rip and Devour to decapitate it, shouting his signature catchphrase.

Kyogai appears again and mutters to himself about a certain "rare blood", 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 Demon Moons.

Characters in Order of Appearance

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

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