top of page

The Devil's Evolution Catalog Chapter 9: Recognized

Species Name: Scythed Devil

 

Original Sin: Greed

​

Surname: Mammon

​

Tier Level: Seventh

​

Race Specialty: Harvesting souls

 

Evolution Tree: Small Imp, Large Imp, Head Imp, Demon Child, Flame Demon Child, Infant Devil, Greater Devil, Scythed Devil

 

Interests: Enslaving souls. Why must we fight? Can’t we just happily count money together?

 

Attitude towards Humans: How about it? I’ll give you money for your soul. It’s a loooot of money...Still no? Well then I’m gone, just stay poor for all I care (leaves).

 

------From <<Devils and Men>>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Goblins are truly a stupid bunch of fellows. They are really stupid.

​

Since you are smart enough to know to use a rock to attack from a distance, then you should at least know how to switch your targets right? Is there a f*cking point in constantly targeting my head?

 

All the rocks were caught by me before they caused any damage. If he had just targeted my lower half, I definitely would have had trouble catching those.

​

Well, thanks to his stupidity, I’m now able to fight back. As I threw the rocks back at him, the goblin’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

 

He did not expect a cripple like me to fight back, and had to use his blade to knock it away. Seeing it fail, I added another rock to my attack. He batted it away once more but didn't have time to block the second rock and got hit on his left shoulder.

 

In the meantime, I tried to pull out the sword that was nailing me down but failed to do so. There simply wasn't enough time to pull it out. Furthermore, the sword had penetrated too far in. That attempt had sent waves of excruciating pain crashing through my body, making me to break out in a cold sweat and causing my legs to go soft.

 

*aroo awo!*

 

Seeing me try to pull out the sword made him panic. My lack of mobility was his biggest advantage. Once he lost it, the fight would swing back in my favor. He finally gave in to his worry and decided to engage me in melee combat. Clenching his teeth, he charged me with howl, his blade flourishing in the air.

 

He leveled the blade with my neck and prepared to slash at it while charging. This was it. This was the moment I had been waiting for. I calmed myself down and drew out the two daggers I kept at my waist. One clashed against the oncoming blade while the last one stabbed at the goblin’s heart.

 

Time slowed down as the dagger closed in on his chest. Just as it was about to finish him off, the goblin retreated a step backwards. The attack had failed. My loss of blood had caused my attack to lose its decisiveness, and this coupled with the natural short range of the dagger meant that it only grazed his chest.

 

My heart sank to the depths of hell as the shortie backed away even further. His close encounter with death had thoroughly shaken him. He immediately circled around me and tried to attack my blind spot.

 

Looks like nearly dying had knocked sense into his dense head. Too bad, this only doomed him even more. I was aware that my short range was my biggest weakness so I specifically trained in a throwing dagger skill. While it was definitely unable to hit the goblin when he was throwing rocks at me, a mere three meters was well within my effective range.

 

I tumbled backwards and shifted my sights onto the goblin. With a flick of my wrists, both my daggers shot out one after the other.

 

The goblin was caught off guard once more by my decisiveness. He did not expect me to go all out with this attack and was barely able to raise his blade in time to block a dagger. With the blade tied down by the first dagger, the second had a clear shot at the goblin. It flew unerringly into his lower abdomen.

 

*hissss*

 

I had completely forgotten about the sword stuck in my leg. It viciously tore into my leg as I tumbled, sending another wave of pain crashing through me once more.

 

Damn, why wasn’t it the heart...I’m sure I aimed at the heart…

 

The goblin lowered his head in disbelief and stared at the dagger sticking out of his stomach. He knew he was done for. With a last burst of energy, he took the last charge of his life…

 

A minute later, he was dead but I would soon follow him. In that last desperate attack, he managed to slash my chest and even my face. Thankfully, they weren't deep but they were deep enough for me to abandon my last bit of reservation.

​

I opened my mouth wide and chomped down on his throat...that taste... I felt like puking for the next hundred years or so.

 

Haha...worrying about taste at this time, I guess even in death, I’m still the same old me...I guess, I’m going to die again. I wonder if this time, I'll fall into an eternal slumber or will I reincarnate into a different world? Thinking about it, I’m kind of looking forward to it. I’m cheap aren't I? My life is so cheap.

​

My left leg was gone, my right thigh was nailed to the ground and my chest was so cut up that I couldn't get up. Every second was a living hell for me as I waited for my impending death.

 

This body won't last much longer… As I lay there, the bloody stench of the battlefield filled my sinuses. Painful...It stinks...Is this the battlefield that I was looking forward to? A meaningless battle where no one won.

 

Sigh, so meaningless... I should have just stayed at home and be an obedient otaku. Would've been so much safer.

 

Nicole, what are you doing right now? Roscar, did you know that I've left home? Sares, you’ll treat Nicole well won't you? I have so much I want to say to all of you...I really didn't plan on dying...but now, it looks like I have no choice…

 

My mind was a complete mess at this moment. My entire life flashed before my eyes as I laid there. All the regret, the pain and reluctance seemed to have numbed the burning pain wracking my body. Even my body knew it was pointless to feel any more pain.

 

As time passed, I had even forgotten why I was in this mess in the first place.

​

After an indeterminate amount of time, the purple loli finally moved. Her unmoving silhouette had been so firmly etched in my mind that I initially thought it was merely a trick of the light.

​

She slowly raised her head and lifted her eyelids, revealing a cold expressionless pair of eyes. Paired with her regal purple hair, they gave her an aura of nobility. As her eyes opened, a pair of purple wings sprouted from her back in an angelic display of feathers and purple light.

​

The loli surveyed her surroundings with her signature passive look. In her eyes, the blood and gore might as well be roses in an ordinary garden.

​

As if right on queue, a gentle breeze blew past the battlefield, gently lifting up her white princess dress. A light indescribable fragrance wafted through the air, wiping away the stench of blood surrounding me.

​

Such a perfect face. So much better than the lolis living in my 100gb hard disk… Ahem, I mean she is really pretty, even prettier than Nicole… No wait, Nicole is the best! Ah...even on my deathbed, I’m thinking of such nonsense. She’s like an angel but how could an angel be affiliated with the devil? Purple wings...must be a fallen angel.

​

She’s even a legendary triple iced loli; cold hearted; icy lipped; frozen faced. I thought they only existed in the 2D world!

 

The loli slowly made her way towards me. From the looks of it, she hadn’t recovered much. Every two steps she took was followed up by a hobble. In order to balance herself, she had to flap her wings periodically. Looks painful...I wonder what’s so important that she was willing to endure this pain to approach me.

​

Perhaps it was due to the excitement of having a loli approach me, my pain had mysteriously vanished. Even my mood had improved considerably; all that talk about death disappeared with each step she took. If my death could save such a cute loli, it was worth it!

 

It wasn’t long before the scent of that loli filled my nose. Ahh...so intoxicating. Being able to die while sniffing this heavenly scent was a kind of a blessing as well. After all, I didn’t reap any benefits from my previous death and instead saved a damned pretty boy. I bet those two will end up as lovers in the future…

​

Strange, despite being at death’s knell, my thoughts seem to be unusually active. Perhaps, even a little perverted.

​

“Human, what are you thinking of?”

​

The tripled iced loli finally spoke, her voice devoid of emotions as if she was soulless.

​

“Human...me?”

​

“Human, do you regret it?”

​

“No…” Regret? Why would I have any regrets? My death was already a done deal, what’s the point of regrets. Besides, how could I stand idly by and watch such a cute loli get kidnapped by a bunch of goblins!

 

She seemed to have taken issue with my smile as her eyes wavered slightly.

 

“Why are you smiling?”

 

“Happy…”

 

“Happy?”

 

“I’m...just...happy...that...you are alright.”

 

“...”

 

She stood there stunned, unable to comprehend my chain of thought. Perhaps, she thought that the loss of blood had rendered me unable to speak too much, so she stooped down by my side. Her milky white arm reached out and rested lightly on my bloody forehead.

 

“You don’t have to speak, just use your thoughts to communicate.”

 

[An item that can read a person’s mind? That’s pretty convenient. Can you really hear my thoughts?]

​

“Mhm. I can.”

 

[That’s great. At least I’ll have someone to talk to on my deathbed.]

 

“Why did you save me?”

 

[If I left a loli to her fate without even trying to help, I would’ve lost the right to call myself an otaku.]

 

“Otaku?”

 

[A mysterious life form. If you don’t understand it, you can skip over it.]

 

“You really don’t regret it?”

​

[I wouldn’t say that I have no regrets, but you are just too cute. Being able to save you made me feel blessed.]

 

“Blessed?”

 

[It means to be very happy.]

 

“Don’t you feel any despair?”

 

[It’s alright. I’m just an unnecessary person after all. Useless...being alive would only be a burden on Nicole and Roscar…]

​

“Tears.”

​

[It’s not tears. It’s water.]

 

“Tears.”

 

[I already said it’s not tears.]

 

“Tears.”

 

[...fine. I’ll admit it. I’m crying. Are you happy now? I really want to see her one last time…]

 

“Sorry…”

 

[It’s alright. I guess it’s my fate to die here. Did you know, I actually had a family. But my existence was only a burden for them so I chose to run away from home. This was my first day. Who knew I would meet you today...is this heaven’s will? Dying to save a loli...I guess it really is my fate. Oh right, what happened to you? How did you end up here?]

 

“I secretly learnt some dimensional magic and ended up in an accident...got bound, couldn’t move…”

 

[Haha, so you failed. That’s pretty funny. I didn’t expect such a cute girl to have such a clumsy side to her. So cute… But you must be more careful the next time around. Don’t make anymore mistakes. You got lucky this time when you met me. The next time you might not be so lucky.]

 

“Mhm. There won’t be a next time” She solemnly nodded and turned to me.

 

“Wish, what is your wish?”

 

[My wish…]

 

“While it’s not possible for me to fulfill them now, once I’ve escaped from this predicament, I’ll help you fulfill it. Money, land, women...no matter what it is, I’ll get it for you.”

 

[Hah...anything huh...if you had said this to me before I was injured, I probably would’ve proposed to you in the heat of the moment. Haha. I’m kidding. This might be our first meeting, but I can imagine how esteemed your status must be. There’s no way you would fancy a piece of trash like me. Well, what should I wish for?]

 

The loli tilted her head in puzzlement and asked in her deadpan voice. “Marriage?”

​

[Err...just forget about that. It was just a joke. Are you able to heal me?]

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

An expected reply came out of her mouth as she unexpectedly lowered her head. “If I had my full powers or if we were at home…”

 

[If that’s the case...I’ll just change my wish.]

 

“Okay…”

 

[Honestly, I only have one simple wish: remember me. Don’t ever forget about me. Tell me: “You were very helpful.” That’s all I need.]

 

“...” The purple loli’s face distorted slightly at my wish. She did not expect my dearest wish to be so simple.

 

[My name is Mo Ke. Can you tell me your name?]

 

“Yi Yi.”

 

[In that case, Yi Yi, will you please remember my name. If you forget about me, then that means that there are no more traces of my existence in this world. Actually, my biggest wish is to be recognized, to be needed. I just wanted to be a useful person...I don’t want to be powerless weakling...a burden...I’m tired…]

 

“...”

 

[So please...say it…]

 

“You...were very helpful. You were the one who saved my life and you have my deepest gratitude for that. You aren’t a worthless piece of trash...If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve chosen to destroy my soul…”

 

[Who knew...I was actually that useful...]

 

“That’s right. You were outstanding.”

 

[At last, I can pass away in peace...goodbye forever…]

 

An image of Nicole and Roscar frantically searching for me flashed through my mind as I my consciousness slowly faded. They should be looking for me right? They should be desperately looking for me right?

 

...It’s despicable of me to say so but I don’t regret running away from home...because Yi Yi was saved...at least I did something useful before dying...being needed...is truly a blessing…

​

​

Footnotes:

​

​

 

​

​

 

 

Credits: 

​

Special thanks to 7STARDARK BLADE! The first ever patron of Catato Patch Translations.

​

​

​

​

​

​

bottom of page