The Executioner and Her Way of Life

The Executioner and Her Way of Life (Japanese: 処刑少女の生きる道（バージンロード）, Hepburn: Shokei Shōjo no Bājin Rōdo; lit. 'The Executioner Girl's Virgin Road') is a Japanese light novel series written by Mato Sato and illustrated by Nilitsu. SB Creative released eleven volumes from July 2019 to March 2025 under its GA Bunko imprint. The series follows Akari, a girl summoned from Japan to another realm who gains the power to control time, and Menou, a young priestess tasked with killing Akari to protect her own world.

Beginning with the release of the fifth light novel volume, a manga adaptation with art by Ryō Mitsuya was serialized in Square Enix's seinen manga magazine Young Gangan from June 2020 to April 2024, with its chapters collected in seven tankōbon volumes. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Yen Press. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by J.C.Staff aired between April and June 2022.

Sato wrote The Executioner and Her Way of Life after deciding to create a story he described as harsh and merciless, using its darker style as a way to challenge himself creatively. He drew inspiration from a wide variety of existing works, such as the anime series Darker than Black, while also deliberately subverting isekai conventions. The subsequent manga and anime adaptations were created with an emphasis on the pacing and visuals of their respective mediums, as well as fidelity to the original work.

The debut light novel volume won a Grand Prize at the 2018 GA Bunko Awards, and by January 2024, the series had over 400,000 copies in circulation. The light novels have been well-received by critics, particularly for their characters, worldbuilding, and approach to the isekai genre. The anime adaptation has also received favorable reviews, with praise for its story and pacing, and was named by several publications as being among the best anime of 2022.