Chapter 22: First Trial
Hori: *yaaaaaaawn!*
hori woke up in a strange place....
The floor was black, with no clouds visible in the sky.
Hori: hm? what just happened?
she sluggishly stood up scratching her head.
Hori: weren't we starting the SABBATH EXAMS?
hori wondered whilst rubbing her eyes.
Hori: where did everyone-
she suddenly tilted losing her balance.
She was about falling but her feet quickly dug into the ground!
Using her toes to desperately grasp the floor, she was left facing an "abyss"
Hori:...oh my God....!
Where hori actually is, isn't a clear field but a LARGE PILLAR about 300 meters in the sky.
The distance from the actual ground to where she was standing on the pillar was large enough to make you dizzy.
Hori quickly backed up and fell on the floor (on the pillar)
Hori: n... narrator, what is the meaning of this?!
she asked in fear, perhaps she was afraid of heights.
Narrator:... hori, you shouldn't converse with me so casually .
Hori: huh? what do mean...
Narrator: I am simply a narrative device for the readers, so you are on your own in this.
Hori: is that so....I thought we were friends....
Hori mumbled with a sad face.
Narrator: and to prevent further interactions between you and I,I will be "mute"
Narrator: in the sense that you can not hear me but the readers can.
Hori: you keep saying readers,my life isn't a book you know?!
Narrator: good luck with the exams,hori....MUTE.
Hori:... narrator?
Hori: ah she wasn't kidding!....aw man.... I'm on my own.....
Hori:... alright then...!
she stood up and took a deep breath.
Hori: always follow fathers advice, when in a tricky situation, take a deep breath and outline the situation!
Hori: *breeereeaaaaathes*
Hori: okay, now my mind is clear.
Hori: now where the heck am I???
She walked a bit on the surface of the wide pillar.
Hori:... what's that?
hori ran towards a red object she sighted from afar.
Hori: it's a red rod...
she picked it up and wondered what it's for.... it was a red rod with length about the same as the ones used in javelin.
Hori: what am I meant to do with this....
she looked closely at the rod and noticed something.
Hori:.... I'm not seeing things... it's reducing....
Narrator: due to hori's superb eye sight, she can notice subtle changes normal people might not see.
Narrator: I really should have used mute a while ago! finally I can talk in fuckin peace!!
Hori was about dropping the red rod but decided to hold on to it.
Hori: it must be important!
"YOU HAVE 30 MINUTES TO REACH THE FINISH LINE, FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE ELIMINATION"
a loud voice spoke from.... somewhere??? perhaps through a giant microphone that wasn't visible.
His voice sounded tired and you could "HEAR" cigarette.
Hori: that voice! it's Shiba San!
hori jumped in excitement.
Narrator: TADASHI SHIBA is the announcer for this year's Sabbath exams, his identity will be revealed later.
Narrator: being the daughter of father jiro who is the head of SHO-Japan.
Narrator: hori was acquainted with a lot of powerful men and women.
Narrator: first was Eric Adams now Tadashi Shiba, but who exactly are these mentioned individuals???
Hori: I already knew Shiba-san worked for SHO, who knew he'd be here.
ANNOUNCER: A total of 206, oh 207 participants have fallen to their deaths, good luck to the rest of you.
As soon as Shiba the announcer uttered those words, hori felt a serious chill.
"was he lying just now?" "what did he mean deaths??" "fallen??"
multiple thoughts ran threw her head.
Hori: fallen!
she recalled that she was at the extreme end when waking up and finding herself in this place.
Hori:... no... it couldn't be.
Hori:(did SHO intend for people to fall to their deaths? that would be the only explanation for placing us so close to the edge, no wonder many people have died?)
Hori:... isn't that just wrong??
She said with face full of despair, who knew SHO was willing to kill participants!
Hori: okay...SO DEATH IS POSSIBLE!
Narrator: hori has clearly taken in the gravity of her situation, by recognizing death as a part of the SABBATH EXAMS.
Narrator: her sense of danger is currently at it's utmost peak.
Announcer: time to explain the rules, I am sure all participants are awake by now.
Announcer: the amount of participants before the first trial was
**** subtracting the deceased only *** are currently alive.
Hori: please God,let haruki, meadow and Shuntaro san be okay.
she said a quick prayer.
Announcer: oh, time for the goal explanation for the first trial.
Announcer: please listen to what I am about to say.
Hori sat on the floor to pay attention, she knows she's not too smart so she wants to try her best to understand what Shiba is about to say.
Announcer: as you all know from checking the site on the rules for the exams.
Announcer: you should remember that each of the seven trials for the SABBATH EXAMS are based on a heavenly virtue.
Hori: I did not know that! maybe I really should have checked this "site"
Announcer: the virtue each trial represents is completely at random.
Announcer: the first trial is the Temperance trial.
Announcer: in other words, "moderation"
Hori: how creative, making each trial represent a virtue!
hori was impressed with SHO's creativity.
Announcer: as some of you may have noticed, the red rods on each of your pillars are "reducing"
Hori: I noticed that Shiba san!
she replied raising her hand as if in a class room, she couldn't see who was talking tho.
Announcer: the red rod is a "timer" get to the finish before the rod reduces to nothing.
Announcer: also,if your rod falls from the pillar and touches the ground, your eliminated.
Announcer: of course death also means elimination, you have about 30 minutes.
Hori: why didn't he say so earlier!
hori quickly looked at her rod and noticed it had reduced a little.
she quickly stood up.
Hori: okay! this isn't hard!! I just have to find the finish line!
she strained her eyes checking for the finish line, little did she know that it was too far away, even for someone super human like hori.
Hori: this is no good! I can't see the finish line!!
hori was wondering what to do as her rod slowly continued reducing.
Hori:..... standing here isn't doing any good!
she took a running stance.
Hori: if each participant is on each pillar,then I should just jump to the next pillar! I'll repeat the process until I see the finish line!
Hori: here we go!
*dash!* hori ran at astonishing speed and JUMPED from her pillar!!
since the pillars were far apart, she couldn't even see where she was landing! it could have been a fall to her death!!!
Narrator: simply a leap of faith,as expected from Hori Inori...!
*thud!* she landed on another pillar.
Hori: ow.... that kinda hurt.
she stood up and quickly examined her body for broken bones.
Hori: okay! no broken bones!
Hori: now on to the next pillar!!!
she took another running stance!
"ehm e... excuse me...ma..ammm..!"
A feeble and shy voice came hori's side.
"my..mmy....n... nnnname is suika...! n...n....nice to meet you!"
hori looked and saw a girl with long jet black hair with neat straight bangs, she was also dressed in the SABBATH EXAMS uniform, obviously another participant, she wore a white nose mask and
had SERIOUS eye bags, like some over worked animator.
Her eyes were also different colors, green on the left and orange on the right.
Hori:.... what's wrong with your eyes?
she asked with an innocent face, she's never seen someone with different color of eyes.
Suika: their contacts!
Hori: as in touching? like skin contact?
Suika: ....wtf?....ahem! fufufu! so you've never seen a demon king before?!
she bragged posing like an anime character.
Hori: (wasn't she shy just now? what's wrong with this girl,is she mentally ill?)
she wondered with a worried expression.
Narrator: suika is a "chunni"
Narrator: a popular Japanese slang for people who behave like anime characters.
Narrator:...oh... hori can't hear me...
Hori: your wasting my time, so I would like to get going.
suika: a...ah www... wait!...ehm... you didn't happen to hear the rules from the announcer just now did you?
Hori: you mean Shiba san? yes I heard them, didn't you?
Suika:(how did she know it was Shiba San?!)
Suika:....ehm.... could you please explain the rules to me...?!
she pleaded.
Hori:.... you've got to be kidding me.
Hori: why didn't you hear them?!
suika:( shit,I can't tell her that I was sleeping because of tiredness from playing league of legends till 4 o'clock this morning! she'll think I'm an otaku!)
Narrator: hori doesn't know what that means tho.
Suika: you see....I was unconscious when they explained the rules...!
she came up with a lie!
Hori:...sigh
suika: (the fuck?)
Hori: (I don't have time to explain the rules to someone, my rod is still reducing....)
Hori: I'm going to make it quick!
Suika: a..ahh th.. thank you so much!
she showed her gratitude by bowing her head.
Hori: it's fine, just don't let your rod touch the ground, and don't let it reduce to nothing, meaning it's a timer, get to the finish line before it reduces to nothing.
suika: *zzzz*
she was asleep.
Hori: suika chan! wake up! did you even hear what I just said?!
suika: ah..ahhh I'm awake! sorry I'm... I'm just soooo sleepy....
she dosed off again.
Hori: this is ridiculous, I'm leaving!
Suika: p...please wait...!
Hori: I am NOT explaining the rules again!
Hori: why don't you just use the "Bribery system"?! your obviously sleep deprived!
Suika: oh..I forgot about that,I wanted to save my money for dangerous trials tho...ah she left.
hori had already jumped to the next pillar in search for even a glimpse of the finish line via the last pillar!
Hori: that mentally unstable girl wasted my time!
Narrator: hori isn't insulting suika, she just genuinely thinks something's wrong with her head....
Hori was running with her red rod in her hands and saw it was now HALF!
Hori: oh no! I can't even see the finishing pillar!
Announcer: participant suika has used the "Bribery System"
Announcer: she has skipped the first trial.
Hori: if she was going to do that why make me waste so much time??!??
hori was going insane!!
suika suddenly found herself in a room with beds after announcing her use of the "Bribery system"
she was met with a hataki who received the payment of ten thousand yen for bypassing the first trial.
Suika:...(I should apologize to that onee-chan for wasting her time...)
Suika:...get your self together suika! you've already spent money on two rounds! God I need to sleep!
she heads straight to one of the multiple beds in the lavish room she was in.
Announcer: participant Akane Shuntaro has used the bribery system.
Hori: thank goodness, she's safe!
Announcer: contestant Haruki Maru
has passed the first trial.
Announcer: he is the first clearer of trial one.
Hori:...heh! as expected from haruki!
she increased her speed jumping from pillar to pillar!
After a while hori noticed....
Hori: ....the pillars are getting thinner.
Hori stopped after coming to the conclusion.
Hori: good thing I noticed this,I was jumping from pillar to pillar so recklessly!
she walked close to the edge of the pillar she was currently standing on to peak on the next pillar she was going to jump to.
Hori: that one's pretty small... but I should make it!
she backed up a bit and sprinted towards the pillar in front!
As soon as she was about to jump-
*bash!* a muscular hand caved in Hori's face!
launching her back to where she ran from! almost falling from the surface of the pillar, hori quickly dug her hands through it to support her self.
she slowly raised her self back to the surface of the pillar, avoiding a fatal fall.
Hori:...WHO WAS THAT?!
she questioned the figure in front of her with an irritated look, hori was pissed.
"did you know, bishop number 6,sir Allen Scott, said we're in a "good land"
the large figure also in the Sabbath exams uniform started approaching hori.
Hori: get out of my sight,I don't have time for you.
"I am surprised your still alive from that punch, my fists blow up heads easily"
Hori: this is your last warning, MOVE.
"well,it doesn't matter"
he cracked his knuckles.
Hori: (what's with it and strange people in the Sabbath exams?!)
"ahhhhh what a brilliant idea enrolling for this year's Sabbath exams!! I can dismember so many people!!"
The figure was a muscular man about 6.3 tall, he also wore the Sabbath exams uniform and a shaved head.
"my name is Gabriel, and I will be beating you to death"
he said with an honest smile.
Tadashi Shiba was in a lavish room with other important looking individuals.
it seems that members of SHO "priests" are allowed to watch the Sabbath exams as a means of entertainment....
Tadashi:..."Gabriel Thomas" ex psychiatric ward inmate, he entered this year's Sabbath exams to satisfy his blood thirsty desire.
Tadashi: says here his kill count is 102...damn, the population is already as low as it is,we don't need more murderers....
he said looking at a tablet.
"wait but, sir, how is a murderer alive?! didn't he trigger the curse as soon as he killed someone???"
a priest dressed in all black questioned Tadashi.
Tadashi:... this isn't taught In normal Tsumibito lessons, but it's taught once you enroll in SHO.
Tadashi: if a person whole heartedly and earnestly believe that the sin their commiting isn't "wrong" the curse will not be triggered.
"Shiba San, so you mean this Gabriel doesn't think killing is wrong??"
a female priest with a dark red cloak questioned.
Tadashi: that is correct, to him killing is probably the same as playing soccer, he sees it as a means of entertainment.
"that poor girl is going to get killed"
the male priest added.
Tadashi: this is the Sabbath exams, killing isn't only allowed, it's encouraged, we're training priests who will battle sinners and sins, they should get used to life or death situations.
Tadashi Shiba said nonchalantly,as if witnessed multiple people die from the Sabbath exams.
Narrator: however, Hori Inori is different.
The scene returns to the psychopath confronting our MC...
Hori Inori vs Gabriel Thomas
Hori: Thomas san, it's nice to meet you, however you punched me earlier, so I'm quite unpleased with you, so I do not have time to engage in further "fist-a-cuffs"
Hori: I beg of you, for your own safety MOVE! NOW!!
Thomas: too bad young lad, but you'll be my 103rd kill.
Thomas: I would have preferred a young girl's skin to tear apart tho...
Thomas said with a sad face.
Hori:... but... I'm a girl...
Thomas: huh? no way, girls aren't that ugly.
Thomas said ignoring hori's statement.
Hori:(.... I'm not ugly...am I?)
she was sad.
Thomas: anyways, you should really keep a closer eye on this.
he said dangling hori's red rod! just when did he snatch it from her!
Hori: when did you?!
she yelled but recalled the rules,if the rod touches the ground the participant is disqualified.
Hori: please give it back!
Thomas: now to make you fight at your best, I will be dropping the rod if you can't beat me in the next 2 minutes.
Thomas: of course I'll beat you to death before then tho.
Hori: ( this is bad! my rod is almost reduced to nothing....!)
Hori:( I don't have time for this, I'll just agree, he'll give it back after I beat him!)
Thomas placed hori's red rod in his pocket, where his own red rod was.
Thomas: ahhh this is going to be so much fun!
Without waiting for the starting signal from Thomas, hori vanished from his sight.
Thomas: huh? where'd he go?!
Note: Hori is a girl
Hori: I believe I have won.
She was standing behind Thomas her right hand holding his neck still.
Thomas: s..so fast!
Hori: please give me back my rod.
Thomas: a...ah hold on! you didn't wait for the starting signal!
he hurriedly came up with an excuse.
Hori: that's because I don't have time for any of this! please can we do this later?!
Thomas: you wish! do you know when else I'll get to tear someone apart?! after this I'm forced back to that psychiatric ward even though there's nothing wrong with me!!!
Thomas yelled but hori's hand was holding his neck still.
Hori:... there's definitely something wrong with you...sigh...
she let go of his neck and went back to the starting point waiting for Thomas's signal to begin the death match.
Hori:...(I'm sorry haruki...I might not pass this trial...)
she thought with a sad face seeing her red rod in Thomas's pocket reducing to the size of a candle.
Thomas:( wait...if he was that fast, why didn't he just his rod from my pocket?! could it be that he cares about the rules for this bout? meaning he won't take it back until he beats me?!)
Note: hori is a girl.
Hori: please! let's get this over with.
her face dead serious, she was agitated....
Thomas: begin!!!
he rushes towards hori, his unrealistically muscular physique making him look like a truck with no brakes!
Thomas: diiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!
He waved his hand through the air attempting to slap hori with immense force!
hori quickly squatted dodging the attack!
Hori:(his so big that there's more than enough space to land an attack)
hori did a round house kick! it connected! nearly knocking Thomas unconscious.
he came back to his senses and released a barrage of punches at hori!
Hori:( okay, just find the space between each fist!)
hori began dodging the barrage carefully making sure she didn't trip and fall off the pillar!!
Thomas: why can't I hit you?!
he increased his speed!
Hori: ah! he got faster!
hori also increased her speed and began dodging faster!
Hori: no matter how fast a punch barrage is, at the end of the day, you still have only two hands.
hori grabbed both of his huge hands with her own, exerting enough force to keep them still, but not to break them.
Thomas:( s...so strong! I can't even move...!)
hori quickly pushed his hands away and quickly grabbed his head and dragged it to her knee...
*bash!!!!* it sunk in Thomas's face! her right knee had broken his nose!
hori pushed him away but not too far so he wouldn't fall from the pillar they were standing on.
Hori: give me back my rod,I don't want to kill you.
she started walking closer to him.
Thomas was bending down, covering his nose to prevent it from bleeding...he suddenly started crying...
Thomas: please! please I beg of you...!
Hori: ah sorry! i didn't mean to injure you so much-
Thomas: it's been so long since I've killed something!!! just let me have this!!
Thomas started pleading with hori to let him kill her,it seems he doesn't only enjoy killing but he's addicted to it, perhaps after realizing he couldn't win against hori,he began begging.... not for mercy.....but to quench his twisted hunger...
Hori:.....(this man....is insane...)
hori thought seeing the full grown man crying over such a topic.
Hori:.....
*tap* she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
Thomas:huh? does that mean you'll let me kill you?!
*crack* Hori dislocated his shoulder.