Chapter 33

Suffering and Floundering as You Move Forward (しみ、のたうちながらへ) is the thirty-third chapter of Koyoharu Gotoge's Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Summary
After revealing to Zenitsu that he has been poisoned and will begin to transform into a spider, the Spider Demon pulls out a pocket watch and begins to describe the different phases of his transformation. He explains that within a span of a few hours, Zenitsu's hands and feet will begin to tingle, the feelings of dizziness and nausea will set in, followed by the feeling of intense pain, until his body finally shrinks and he loses consciousness. When he awakens, he will find that his body would have finished transitioning into a demon spider.

Zenitsu becomes even more horrified as the spiders crawl around his feet. He dashes away while openly admitting that he is already aware that running away will not help his situation, and ends up climbing a nearby tree. Witnessing Zenitsu's episode of panic, the demon laughs at him and reassures him that he has nothing to fear, as once the Demon Slayer finishes his transformation, he will no longer have a mind of his own or any sense of emotions. In response to his taunt, Zenitsu rambles saying that he doesn't want any of that and subtly insults him by saying "I bet you don't have any friends! People must hate you!", leaving the Spider Demon glaring at him with spite.

As Zenitsu continues to cry about his fate, the situation is reminiscent of when he had climbed up a tree in the past. A voice can be heard sternly yelling at him to pull himself together, as Zenitsu squeals about his impending death if he continues to train. His trainer stubbornly calls him an idiot and tells him that training won't kill him, commanding him to get down from the tree at once. Zenitsu continues to wail, calling the old man "Gramps"; he cries out that he loves him, much to his trainer's surprise, and that he is eternally grateful for paying off his debt. Nonetheless, he believes himself to not be capable enough to be a Demon Slayer.

He rants about his inability to make progress, describing how he trains to the point of lacking sleep but never sees any fruit to his labor and eventually lets out his anger at his failure. As Gramps tries to calm Zenitsu and claims he truly possesses talent, a sudden bolt of lightning strikes Zenitsu. Gramps looks on in horror as Zenitsu finally falls from the tree with his new striking blonde hair.

Zenitsu remarks that he hates his lack of self faith; though he means to do good, he ends up getting scared and fleeing. He insists that he wants to change and become better, yelling out loud that he is working as hard as he can, but transforming into a monster now, he can no longer handle even more issues. The Spider Demon is confused at his opponent's weird rants, as the spiders crawl up the tree. Zenitsu yells at them to leave but discovers that clumps of his hair are falling out, since the demon had not mentioned it before hand. Fear finally causes Zenitsu to fall asleep, driving even more confusion to the Spider Demon, in disbelief he had been sent to kill his family.

As he falls off the tree to the forest floor, Zenitsu begins to breathe and preforms Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash to jump off the trunk and initiate his attack on the Spider Demon. In response to the sudden maneuver, the demon spews his Poison Sputum to try deter Zenitsu, but he is able to evade his attack midair.

As Zenitsu lands on the ground he immediately attempts to utilize First Form: Thunderclap and Flash but is swarmed by numerous spiders. He continuously dodges their attacks and tries to use his form but is constantly hounded by the acidic poison of the Spider Demon, who realizes to his amusement that Zenitsu is capable of only one form.

Zenitsu thinks back to when Gramps had encouraged him that it was alright to only know one form, though he notes that before encouraging him, he was furious since Thunder Breathing had six forms. He remembers when his trainer began to pound his head continually, explaining that when a sword is made, the steel is beaten till all impurities are removed to refine it. Though Zenitsu understands, he claims he is not made with steel but flesh. The Spider Demon, seeing him standing still without attacking, believes Zenitsu will soon fall.

Gramps motivates his student to master his one form; he may cry and run but he must never give up. He tells Zenitsu to believe that all his training, no matter how hellish, will eventually pay off. "Be rid of all your impurities. Become a blade that is stronger than anyone!"

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Spider Demon (Son)
 * Zenitsu Agatsuma
 * "Gramps" (Flashback)

Events

 * Zenitsu's time training as a Demon Slayer is shown.
 * Zenitsu Agatsuma vs Spider Demon (Son).
 * Zenitsu is revealed to be capable of only the first form of Thunder Breathing.

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