The Announcer spoke.
After announcing her use of the "Bribery system"
Suika was met with a Hataki who received the payment of ¥100,000 via money transfer for bypassing the first trial.
As soon as the payment was made. The chime of a kitchen bell rang again.
Suika suddenly found herself in a lavished white room with multiple beds.
It scented of neat cologne, sprayed on the sheets.
Suika reasoned it was best to apologize to Hori for wasting her time and also thank her for saving her from falling.
She ran straight to one of the multiple beds in the lavish room to finally get some good sleep.
-----------
Back at the trial ground.
The announcer spoke again.
A wave relief exuded from Hori as she heard the news. Still jumping carefully from pillar to pillar, she was glad her friend was safe.
Hori checked her rod. Now the length of Hori's height. She gulped before the announcer spoke once more.
has completed the first trial. He is the first to complete trial one.>
Hori wasn't even surprised. Haruki had showed superb skills. Being a Sin on top of all that made jumping from pillar to pillar a breeze.
If only Hori didn't get stuck with that Chuuni. But she didn't want to blame Suika.
She suddenly stopped her rhythm and noticed. The pillars were reducing in width. Their surface to land on got smaller and smaller.
"Good thing I noticed this, I was jumping so recklessly!"
She cleaned her sweat and walked close to the edge of the pillar she was currently standing on. Trying to peek on the next surface she was going to jump to.
"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.
"WHO WAS THAT?!"
She yelled in annoyance with an irritated look, what was the issue now?
A cough-ridden voice began to speak.
"Did you know, from the site, it said we're in a 'Good land'? I don't quite remember what it meant, but I think it said the curse isn't allowed here."
The large figure, also in the Sabbath exams uniform started approaching Hori.
He had a bald head and resembled a muscular old man in need of a phycologist.
"Get out of my sight, I don't have time for you."
Hori ordered as she cracked her neck to examine if it was broken.
"I am surprised you're still alive from that punch, my fists blow up heads easily."
The old man praised.
"This is your last warning, MOVE."
Hori was pissed. Her rod now less her body height.
That and why so many strange people were in the Sabbath Exams.
The man rose both hands as if thanking God.
"Ahhhhh, what a brilliant idea enrolling for this year's Sabbath Exams!! I can dismember so many people!!"
He looked at Hori and brought his hands down for an introduction.
"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.
As usual, members of SHO "Priests" were allowed to watch the Sabbath Exams as a means of entertainment.
Tadashi spoke with his classic emotionless tone.
"....Gabriel Thomas, ex psychiatric ward inmate, he entered this year's Sabbath Exams to satisfy his blood thirsty desire."
He flipped through a file
"Says here his kill count is 42...damn, the population is already as low as it is, we don't need more murderers...."
"Wait, but sir, how is a murderer alive?! Isn't he meant trigger the curse as soon as he killed someone? Given murder being a grave Sin, a one time commitment should immediately turn him into a Sinner."
A priest dressed in all black questioned Tadashi with utmost respect.
Tadashi rubbed his eyes after removing his glasses and answered.
"This isn't taught In normal Jittai 実体 lessons, but it's taught once you enroll in SHO. if a person whole heartedly and earnestly believe that the Sin their commiting isn't 'wrong' the curse will not be triggered."
"Sir Shiba, so you mean this Gabriel doesn't think killing is wrong?"
A female priest on his left with a dark red cloak questioned.
"That is correct, to him killing is probably the same as playing soccer, fuckin psychos are immune to the curse."
Tadashi lit his cigarette for a quick smoke.
The 2 priests who asked questions turned pale. That poor girl was going to be murdered.
Tadashi, seeing their worried expression spoke ruthlessly.
"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.
The scene returns to the psychopath confronting our protagonist.
Hori Inori vs Gabriel Thomas
"Mr Thomas, I won't say it's nice to meet you, because you punched me earlier, so I'm quite unpleased with you, I do not have time to engage in further fist-a-cuffs"
Hori looked directly at his small eyes.
"I beg of you, for your own safety MOVE! NOW!!"
"Too bad young lad, but you'll be my 44th kill. I would have preferred a young girl's skin to tear apart tho..."
Thomas said with a sad face.
Hori was annoyed, did this psycho just mistake her for a boy? Not that it mattered.
"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?
"When did you?!"
She yelled but recalled the rules, if the rod touched the ground the participant got disqualified.
"Please give it back!"
Hori pleaded, she had finally started the Sabbath Exams. She couldn't get disqualified in the first trial.
"Ahh, so you can beg. That's good to know..... 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. of course I'll beat you to death before then, it's just to make things interesting."
Thomas spoke earnestly, not sounding a bit psychotic from his tone but his words were sick.
Hori was panicking, her rod was still reducing. She didn't have time for an opponent. But the surface of this pillar was too small for reckless movement to try retrieving her rod back.
Hori sighed and agreed.
Since Thomas promised to give it back after his defeat, she just needed to make it quick.
Thomas placed Hori's red rod in his pocket, where his own rod rested. Hori had to make a mental note of hers. Incase she would be disqualified for taking his. Every participants rod looked the same, and being a timer sent to burn at a fixed rate, they were all the same length.
"Ahhh, this is going to be so much fun!"
Thomas squealed.
Without waiting for the starting signal from him, Hori vanished from his sight.
Thomas immediately panicked, where did the brat go?!
"I believe I have won."
She was standing behind Thomas her right hand holding his neck still.
Thomas gulped, that speed was unnatural.
"Please give me back my rod."
Hori asked politely. This was an effortless win.
Thomas hurriedly came up with an excuse. Saying Hori didn't wait for the starting signal.
"That's because I don't have time for any of this! please can we do this later?!"
She reached for her rod, only for Thomas to leap backwards.
"You wish! Do you know when else I'll get to kill something?! After this I'm forced back to that psychiatric ward even though there's nothing wrong with me!!!"
Thomas yelled, now standing away from Hori.
Hori sighed, she agreed to start again. This time waiting for his signal to begin the bout. Her red rod now half her size.
Hori mentally apologized to Haruki, she might not pass this trial.
Thomas was sweating bullets. If Hori was that fast, why didn't the brat just kill him then and there.
Hori was no murderer. She was going to pass the exams with zero blood on her hands. Despite killing being allowed.
Thomas then yelled.
"Begin!!"
He rushed towards Hori, his unrealistically muscular physique making him look like a truck with no brakes.
"Diiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!"
He waved his hand through the air attempting to slap Hori with immense force!
Hori quickly squatted dodging the attack.
Thomas was so big, his body had more than enough space to land an attack.
Hori gave him a round house kick. Nearly knocking Thomas unconscious.
He came back to his senses, wondering how a small body released so much force. He released a barrage of punches at Hori.
She swam through the punches, too slow to call an attack.
hori carefully dodged the barrage, making sure she didn't trip and fall off the pillar.
"Why can't I hit you?!"
Thomas yelled, he increased his speed!
'Ah, He got faster!'
Hori also increased her speed and began dodging faster.
She lectured seeing his stamina depleting.
"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 fists with her own, exerting enough force to keep them still, but not to break them.
Thomas was astonished, he couldn't move.
Hori quickly pushed his hands away and quickly grabbed his head and dragged it to her knee.
It sunk in Thomas's face! Her right knee had completely broken his nose!
Hori pushed him away but not too far so he wouldn't fall from the pillar they were standing on.
"Give me back my rod, I'm not going to kill you."
She started walking closer to him.
Thomas bent down, covering his nose to prevent it from bleeding. He suddenly started crying.
"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to injure you so much."
Shocking Hori, Thomas started pleading with Hori to let him kill her, he didn't only enjoy killing but was addicted to it, after realizing he couldn't win against Hori, he began begging.... not for mercy.....but to quench his twisted hunger...
'This man....is insane...'
Hori thought, seeing the full grown man crying over such a topic.
She didn't care anymore, time was running out. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
crack
Hori dislocated his joints with a single flick.