Demon Prince is Resurrected

Yuto appeared again in front of Kaz who was having some beer and lamb.

Kaz raised an eyebrow as Yuto stumbled out of the circle, looking disheveled and weary.

"So, did you meet your precious goddess?"

Yuto couldn't speak, couldn't move, he learned more than he normally would have with the fragments, but it was a hard pill to swallow.

Kaz sighed, "Looks like the whole ordeal did a number on you. You'd better sit down before you fall over"

"..."

"Kaz... did you know who I was in the past?"

Kaz leaned back in his chair, swirling the beer in his mug.

"Yeah... I knew. Do you really want to talk about it now? You look like a stiff breeze could push you over"

Yuto bit his lip till it bled, "So you knew that I was a demon prince in my first life?"

Kaz nodded, "Yep, I knew about your past life, your demon heritage, the whole package"

Yuto got up and slammed Kaz to the wall, "YOU FUCKING HYPOCRITE"

The table and chair were flipped over, dropping the food and beer, Kaz's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Okay, that's fair. I admit, I didn't tell you everything"

"But in my defense, how was I supposed to break the news to you?"

"Hey Yuto, glad you're here. By the way, I know about your past life, and oh yeah, you were a demon prince?"

"You bloody fucking beat me when I mentioned Mizuki and Elise, so tell me what the fuck was all that for?"

Kaz gritted his teeth, "Look, I didn't beat you up just for the hell of it"

"I did it because you were getting too close to the truth, and I needed to make sure you didn't find out about your past life too soon"

"STOP FUCKING LYING!"

"Enough, you're acting like a fucking brat now"

Kaz pushed Yuto back, glaring at him, "Fine, you want the truth? You want to know why I didn't tell you everything?"

"Elise knew you wouldn't be able to handle it"

Yuto froze, all the anger and frustration draining away from his face, "What... what do you mean?"

Kaz took a deep breath, "Look at you now, holding on by a string, and you only know some truth, you're weak right now"

"Imagine if you knew everything. Imagine the shock, the pain, the struggle to come to terms"

"Knowing wouldn't have changed anything, it would just make the current situation worse"

"Shut up"

Kaz scowled, "You asked for the truth, now you can't handle it? How typical"

He took a step forward, towering over Yuto.

"You're weak, Yuto. You don't really think you could have handled all that information from the beginning, do you?"

"You're barely holding on right now, and you only scratched the surface"

Yuto, whose anger finally reached its limit, launched a fist towards Kaz's chin, "I said shut up!"

Kaz stumbled back, before looking back at Yuto, anger pouring from his eyes, "So that's how you want it, round three you fucking brat"

He leaped forward, tackling Yuto to the ground and pinning him down, "Maybe I should just beat it into your damn head"

Yuto struggled against Kaz's grasp, his anger bubbling furiously, "Get the hell off me!"

Kaz snarled, "And why should I? You're acting like a damn child"

He tightened his grip on Yuto's wrists, applying more pressure to pin him down.

Yuto responded with a heavy head butt, "As if you have any room to talk!"

Kaz cursed loudly, gripping his forehead where Yuto had hit him.

"You damn brat!"

He pressed his knee into Yuto's stomach, applying pressure, "You never learn, do you!"

Yuto's eyes began to glow red, and horns began to sprout from the side of his head.

<- System Warning ->

[ Body is transforming]

"I said"

<-System->

[ Transformation at 50% ]

"Get the fuck"

<-System->

[Transformation 90% ]

"OFF OF ME!"

A sudden red burst of energy was released from Yuto, breaking through the vault and sending Kaz flying into the air.

Kaz crashed into a nearby wall.

He slowly got to his feet, his eyes widening as he saw Yuto's body jerk violently.

He jumped down as he noticed the level of destruction Yuto made simply by transforming.

"Damn... you went back to your demonic form..."

Mizuki who was waiting outside ran up to Kaz, "What happened? Where's Yuto?"

Kaz stood up, brushing himself off.

"He's inside. But...he's transformed into his demonic form"

Mizuki immediately knew what Kaz was referring to and slapped him, "What did you do?"

Kaz huffed as he rubbed his cheek, "What did I do? It's not my fault this time!"

"I only told him the truth, and then he went berserk in his little demonic tantrum. He's completely lost control"

Mizuki clenched her fist, "You fool! Do you not know what could happen when a demonic transformation reaches its peak!?"

It was too late as an even louder explosion blew up the entire building.

All the other dragons that heard the commotion were about to join in when Kaz raised his hand, stopping them.

Kana and Freya teleported to their location but Mizuki grabbed their hands pulling them away to safety.

"Don't kill him Kaz, or I'll kill you"

Kaz grumbled, "Don't worry, I'm not that heartless"

As the girls left, the other dragons created an arena for the two of them.

Kaz transformed into his Dragon form, he noticed a figure coming out of the rubble.

As Yuto slowly emerged from the wreckage, his demonic form now fully unleashed, he narrowed his eyes.

His eyes burned with intense rage, his horns fully extended and his wings spread out.

He looked powerful... and completely out of control.

"Fuck… you look the same as you did 3,000 years ago, so Yuto, stop now or-"

Yuto lunged forward, his wings beating fiercely.

He had lost all semblance of reason, his only thought was to destroy, regardless of the lives that could be possibly taken.

As Yuto lunged forward, so did Kaz, his own wings flapping as he met Yuto's attack head-on, claws meeting claws in a loud clash.

"Damn it, Yuto, control yourself!"

Yuto didn't respond, his mind completely consumed by the instincts of his demonic nature.

He unleashed a barrage of attacks, each fist carrying black hell fire.

Kaz struggled to keep up, his scales being scorched by the flames.

"You idiot, you're not thinking straight! You're going to get yourself killed!"

He swung his tail down, attempting to stop Yuto, but then he felt immense pain.

Yuto gripped Kaz's tail and began ripping it off his body.

Kaz let out an anguished roar, his eyes practically screaming that he was in pain.

"Damn it, stop... STOP!"

He twisted furiously, attempting to break free from Yuto's grip, but to no avail.

Yuto didn't let up, his grip tightening as he continued to tear at Kaz's tail, drawing more blood and causing more pain.

Kaz could feel his body weakening, his wounds becoming more severe.

He tried to speak, but the pain was too much, yes he was the dragon king, but his opponent was the man who once held the other races by the throat, the goddess hero, his friend, the first hero.

Yuto

The other dragons were about to join in when Kaz slammed Yuto repeatedly to the ground.

So what if Yuto was the hero?

So what if he regained some of his original power?

He was the bloody dragon king, and he'll show it!

Kaz continued slamming Yuto into the ground, attempting to weaken him and regain control of the situation.

"Snap out of it, you idiot. You're not yourself... you're blinded by your anger"

Yuto struggled, his body battered and bruised from the repeated impacts, but his demonic form was keeping him going.

He kept spitting back up, charging at Kaz again and again, his attacks becoming even more frenzied and wild.

Kaz roared in frustration as he blocked Yuto's attacks.

"You stubborn fool! You're not listening! You're going to get us both killed at this rate!"

He attempted to restrain Yuto with binding magic but he broke through it easily, he launched a giant fireball that Yuto canceled quickly.

Yuto who now finally matched Kaz's dragon form in height, grabbed Kaz by the throat and slammed him down on the rubble.

Kaz let out a choked gasp, struggling against Yuto's grip, "Damn it... just like old times..."

"You fucking brat..."

Yuto didn't respond, his eyes narrowed in cold anger as he tightened his grip, digging his claws further into Kaz's scales.

Kaz coughed, blood dripping from his mouth, "You... you can't... kill... me... that easily..."

Was it pointless?

He was the dragon king, but he was also old and had not fought in centuries.

This was the first time in a long time that he was pushing himself.

But just as Yuto was about to swing again, Mizuki jumped onto Kaz's stomach.

"KAZ AGREE TO MY TERMS QUICKLY!"

Kaz glanced at Mizuki, his eyes narrowing, "What terms? We're in the middle of a damn life and death battle, woman!"

"JUST SAY YES!"

Kaz gritted his teeth, "Fine, I'll agree to your damn terms, now what?"

A golden light beamed off of Mizuki, striking Yuto straight in the stomach, and getting him off Kaz.

As the dust settled, Kaz stepped forward, his broken and bloody body covered in golden armor.

He felt a surge of power coursing through his veins as the golden armor soothed most of his wounds.

"Mizuki... what... what did you do?"

'This is temporary okay? I became your armor for now, hah, you have gotten older'

Kaz gritted his teeth, "Hah, as if I wouldn't have won on my own. Don't flatter yourself"

'Who was screaming because Yuto was ripping off their tail?'

Kaz scowled, "I was caught off guard, that's all! I would have handled it eventually"

'Shut up, he's coming at you again'

Kaz braced himself as Yuto charged at him once more, "Damn it... this brat doesn't give up, does he?"

Kaz and Yuto clashed once again, each trying to gain the upper hand.

The arena trembled as their colossal forms collided, causing the ground to crack and buckle beneath their feet.

Yuto reached Kaz's horns and brought his head down, connecting it with his knee, causing Kaz's head to fly back.

"Kgh!"

Yuto wasn't finished as he repeatedly grabbed Kaz's head and slammed it to the ground.

Kaz responded by elbowing Yuto in the stomach and unleashing a barrage of magic-empowered punches.

His glowing fists slammed into Yuto with immense force.

"You never learn, do you? Always headfirst..."

Yuto simply brushed off the hits and retaliated with his devastating strikes, unleashing torrents of black energy that scorched the ground beneath them.

The impact of their blows sent waves rippling through the ground, creating a makeshift arena for their intense duel.

The other dragons couldn't believe this sight, a being that could overpower and almost kill the dragon king, this was simply unheard of.

The ground shook as neither side gave an inch as the two titans clashed.

Kaz used his experience and skill to dodge and weave, countering with well-timed strikes and using Mizuki's abilities to the max.

"I can see why Yuto never uses any other weapon"

Mizuki couldn't respond as Yuto swung his fists and claws with wild abandon, smashing through Kaz's defenses.

His hands and arms that broke trying to break Kaz's defenses, started to rebuild themselves, reinforcing and clearly becoming stronger.

'Careful, Yuto's planning to end it'

Kaz gritted his teeth, pushing himself to the limit, "You bastard... too blinded to see that you're hurting some dear to you"

He surged forward, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks, aiming for Yuto's weak points.

Yuto stumbled back, it was clear that although his body was trying to remake itself, it could not deal with the strain of its magic.

Kaz, who could sense this weakness, unleashed a final, powerful attack, knocking Yuto off his feet and sending him crashing to the ground.

Exhausted, Kaz stood over Yuto, panting heavily as he looked down.

"You stubborn bastard... you never know when to quit, do you?"

He channeled Mizuki's abilities once more, casting a powerful sleeping spell over Yuto, putting him into a deep slumber that would give his body time to recover.

"Rest now, Yuto... you've had enough excitement for one day"

Yuto's transformation was becoming undone and all that remained in the crater was a human who was just beaten by the Dragon King.

Now that the deal was done, Mizuki transformed back into her regular form, she noticed that Kaz did the same and undid his dragon transformation.

"You okay Kaz?"

Kaz groaned, clutching his side, "I'm fine... just a bit battered and bruised"

He glanced at Mizuki, his expression softening slightly, "Thanks for the help. I would have been in really bad shape without you"

Mizuki chuckled as she walked towards Yuto, the other dragons sensing that Kaz now had full control of the situation flew back to their reserved spots.

"Softening up a bit?"

Kaz shot Mizuki a glare, "Don't get any ideas. You know how I am. I don't do emotions and all that crap"

He looked back at Yuto, who was still unconscious, "He's going to be in for a surprise when he wakes up"

"What? That he almost killed you?"

Kaz grumbled, "You don't need to rub it in, Mizuki," he flexed his arms, feeling a slight ache.

"But... damn it, he got me good. He's gotten stronger"

Mizuki removed the strands of hair covering Yuto's eyes, "... The Demon Prince walks again"

Kaz sighed, shaking his head, "I suppose that's one way to put it"

He looked at Yuto again, a mix of frustration and concern evident on his face.

"He needs to learn to control that power. Otherwise, he'll be a danger to himself and everyone around him"

Mizuki nodded as she picked Yuto up, "Now that he's back in his human form, I'll wait for him to wake up"

Kaz nodded, "I'll leave him to you, then. I need some rest and to tend to my wounds"

He turned to leave, but paused, glancing back, "Keep an eye on him. And... make sure he doesn't do something stupid"

"Vise versa"

He snorted, "I can handle myself"

He waved dismissively and walked away, leaving Mizuki with the slumbering Yuto.

- Yuto's private room -

"Ugh, my head…"

Yuto blinked a few times, he attempted to get up when he felt a sharp pain coming from his chest.

"Bandages?"

"Why are you surprised?"

Yuto turned his head and saw Mizuki sitting on a soft chair, she put down her cup and closed her book.

"Mizuki?"

She gave him a soft chuckle, "What's up dummy?"

Yuto chuckled as he scratched his head, "Why am I covered in bandages?"

"Huh?"

Yuto tilted his head, "What do you mean huh?"

"I'm asking why I'm covered in bandages?"

Mizuki let out a soft sigh as she stood up and sat beside him.

"Well it's better to see it than to hear it from me"

She pulled out a small blue orb that began playing the earlier fight that Yuto had with Kaz.

"What the?"

Yuto saw the demonic transformation that he took, the level of destruction he caused just from powering up.

He saw how brutal he fought compared to when he fought with Mizuki.

"I almost ripped off his tail?"

"Yup, although I'm sure Kaz won't admit it, he almost lost"

Yuto watched in awe as he saw the techniques he used, they were all new to him.

He also saw Kaz go all out to beat him.

And yet, it still wasn't enough, he saw how much he had driven Kaz into a corner, and the level of fear in his eyes was new.

"You formed a contract with him?"

"No, it was an alliance, had I not joined him, you would have killed him and other innocents"

"..."

"Speechless, huh?"

Yuto nodded, "It's terrifying, I lost control of myself for a short moment and these were the results"

"What led up to this, Yuto?"

He sighed before scratching the back of his head, "Mizuki, before I answer, I want to ask you one thing"

"What is it?"

"As you know, as I grew stronger, so did you, because you are my ego sword, correct?"

"Yes?"

"And you promised not to lie and will answer my question if I asked, right?"

Mizuki nodded her head slowly, "Yuto, what's this about?"

"..."

"I-I met the goddess Elise"

"..."

"Mizuki?"

"Yuto"

"Yes?"

"Don't lie about something like that, I beg you"

"I'm not lying"

"So you're saying you just happened to meet the goddess?"

"With Kaz's help"

"..."

"But you already know I met her, don't you"

"..."

"Answer me Mizuki," his tone wasn't harsh, nor was it accusatory, he simply wanted to know the truth.

"I wasn't sure, I felt your presence disappear for 5 minutes before returning"

"Next thing I knew, you sent Kaz crashing to a wall because of your transformation"

"Is that so?"

Mizuki chuckled as she brushed the strands of hair from his eyes, "Yes"

"So tell me, what happened?"

Yuto sighed as he laid back, "The Goddess showed me who I was in the past"

"..."

"Mizuki, did you know that I was the Demon Prince in my first life?"

"To some degree, I suspect that you were the first hero"

"And you never told me?"

"I couldn't, Yuto it may seem easy but until you at least have more than half the fragments, I cannot say more"

"..."

"I'm sorry"

"..."

"Yuto?"

"Hah, it's fine, I understand, which this pains me to say but"

"But?"

"Mizuki, I'm going on a solo journey for a year"

"What?!?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

Mizuki leaped off the bed, she was angry, she had every right to be, it felt as if he was doing this out of spite.

"Mizu-"

"Why!"

"..."

"Yuto, tell me why?"

"I rely on you too much, I also feel as if I made Freya rely on me too much"

"..."

"I also have many questions I want to find the answer to but I'm too weak, I need to find my own path to becoming stronger"

"..."

"Yeah, I know it seems stupid but… once again I had to rely on you to stop me from doing something stupid"

"... you're serious aren't you"

Yuto simply nodded his head.

"I need to do some serious soul-searching"

"... You won't regret this?"

"I'm sorry"

Mizuki sighed as she scratched her head, "Fine, let me explain the situation to the others, Kaz said he was going to speak to you soon"

She walked over to Yuto's side and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I know something else happened, I'll wait for you to return so that we may speak more honesty"

Yuto simply nodded as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her with a sigh.

"System"

<-System->

[ Yes, Master? ]

"What were the consequences of that demonic transformation?"

<-System->

[ Humanity: 100 ]

Error

<-System->

[ Humanity: 95 ]

"What happens if it drops lower?"

<-System->

[ I'm afraid you will start to lose what it means to be human ]

"Is this because it was too soon of a transformation?"

<-System->

[ Yes ]

"What exactly is it going to affect, my personality?"

<-System->

[ As well as how you fight, you already saw how brutal you were being with the Dragon King ]

"Shit, so this why all of you wanted me to collect the fragments first"

"It wasn't because you guys were being assholes, but because it would keep my humanity, right?"

<-System->

[ … ]

"I'll take that silence as a yes, well I have no one to blame but myself"

"Is there at least a way to stop it from going lower?"

<-System->

[ I suggest you visit the city of Driffield, the biggest temple of Elise should be located there ]

"System, is it really the right thing for me to do?"

"Leaving for a year?"

<-System->

[ Honest opinion, you have to find a way to keep your humanity, less you want to hurt loved ones ]

"... That's that, I'll prepare to leave in a week for my aunt's city"

KNOCK KNOCK

"Who is it?"

"Kaz"

"Come in"

Kaz entered the room, he had some bandages on his arms and chest and yet he looked bothered by it.

"Yuto"

"Kaz"

"..."

"Aren't you going to take a seat?"

"Right"

Kaz walked over to the chair and sat down, he sighed before looking over to Yuto.

"You look like shit"

"Haha, you as well"

"At least I can walk right now"

"I heard I almost ripped off your tail"

"..."

"Did Mizuki-"

"Yeah Mizuki told me"

They both shared a chuckle as Kaz pulled out a wine bottle from his robe.

"You drink?"

"Just a bit"

"Good enough for me"

He pulled out two cups from his pocket space and handed Yuto his cup as he poured him some wine.

"I'm sorry"

Yuto was surprised by the sudden apology as he took a sip.

"For?"

"You were right, I was a piece of shit for beating you during our first meeting"

"Truth be told, I was angry, angry that you got a new start at life while the ones who fought by your side have to carry the memories of the past"

Yuto let out a small chuckle as he asked for more wine, "So it was anger?"

Kaz remained silent as he poured Yuto another glass.

"My life isn't all rainbows and butterflies, I suffered a lot in this life too"

Kaz continued to remain silent as he listened to Yuto.

"My father was killed by three demon generals, my village was raided many people died including those I considered family"

"My childhood friend who I thought died was forced to be alone for 2 years"

"I have to deal with the memories that come from the fragments which as you said brings me to the brink of breaking"

"..."

"What, cat caught your tongue?"

"Kaz, I constantly put my life on the line so that those who follow me, those who love me, and those who wish to learn from me, never experience what I have to"

"I know it doesn't compare to the past but doesn't ever say I don't know what suffering is when I'm constantly dealing with shit like you"

"..."

"I-I didn't know"

"Hah, you're still the same old friend"

"Y-yuto?"

Yuto's eyes shone golden light as his tone of speech became more familiar.

"Still the same old anger issues I see, glad that this version of me can take those hits"

"H-how is this possible"

"Consider this thanks from Elise, it's been a long time since she's seen me"

"I missed you two old friends, things haven't been the same since the war"

"Kaz, I'm sorry I couldn't protect Kaelyn"

Kaz shook his head, "She was your closest friend, I know her death impacted you as well"

"Regardless, I apologize, it must have been hard on you and the rest of our people"

"Hah, I'm strong enough to handle things"

Yuto gave him a soft chuckle, "I know and I'm thankful, old friend"

"... It really hurt us when you left without a word"

"..."

"We trusted you, we fought alongside you, and how did you repay us?"

"..."

"Leaving, you just left us Yuto"

"In due time, when this version of me finds all the fragments, everything will be explained"

Yuto's eyes started to lose their golden color, "It seems this is it for now, it was nice seeing you again Kaz"

"Wait!"

It was too late as Yuto slumped back onto the bed, he slowly got up with a massive headache.

"Fuck, did you hit me again?"

Kaz was silent, he felt a tear escape as he tried to play it off.

"Cough, I didn't do anything, you just fell back, I think it was the wine"

"Ugh, probably, so anything else you want to say?"

Kaz stood from the chair and kneeled before Yuto, putting his head on the ground.

"Besides the money I owe you, you can make another request and I shall do my best to fulfill it"

"Oh? Very dangerous to say I can ask for anything"

"..."

Yuto noticed how Kaz was being serious and sighed before he got up to sit at the edge of the bed.

"Rise you fool, if Kana saw this she would probably give me grief about it"

Kaz nodded and sat back on the chair, "So what is it that you want?"

"I want you to train my group"

"What?"

"You heard me"

"Yuto I don't mean to disrespect your intelligence but that elf companion of yours is an elven hero"

"Mizuki will continue to grow with you, and my daughter is a dragon princess"

"Kaz, you of all people must know that power isn't everything, with the right techniques you can beat the strong"

"..."

"I want you to train them with your martial arts"

"Can't you do it Yuto?"

"I can't"

"Why?"

"Hah, I am going on a solo journey for a year"

"What?"

"So I'm asking you to train them while I'm gone"

"... Fine"

Yuto let out a soft chuckle as he held out his hand, "Thank you"

Kaz sighed as he shook his hand, "Don't mention it"

"..."

"So did I almost beat you?"

Kaz sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "Mizuki just had to tell you"

"No, I know that you were holding back or at least not able to fight properly"

"What makes you think that?"

"You sent me to Elise, so it must have taken a lot of magical energy"

Kaz nodded, leaning back on the chair, "Yeah, but you did almost kill me"

"Really?"

"Yeah"

They both looked at each other and laughed before hearing a knock on the door and it was clear who it was.

Kaz stood up and before he opened it he turned back to Yuto.

"When do you plan to leave?"

"Next week"

"Enjoying the last days with them?"

"Yeah"

"Enjoy it while you can, things will change once you leave"

He opened the door and there stood Freya, Kana, and Mizuki.