I'll kill you after I finish this game!

After passing through a patch of grass and dense woods, the figure on horseback stopped, dismounted, and looked around, searching for what he wanted to see. Matilda scratched the back of her head and muttered to herself in a strange tone:

"It should be here, where did the person go?"

"Are you looking for me?"

A cold voice suddenly appeared beside her, and the sudden sound made Matilda feel a chill and frighten her. She jumped to the other side to create distance and then discovered the strange figure sitting cross-legged on the yellow cloud.

The yellow clouds trembled as if they were alive, and the other person had long, jet-black hair and a tall, upright figure draped in a tattered white robe that trembled like a shadow.

The shadow cast by the white hood completely obscured the upper half of the other person's face, leaving only the lower half visible.

Judging from the voice and the lower half of the face, Matilda realized that the other person was a young man, but the voice inexplicably had a sense of antiquity and vicissitude.

Matilda could feel the other person staring at her from the shadows, their face invisible. She couldn't help but be amazed by the cloud floating beneath their bottom.

"Why...can you sit on a cloud? Are you a wizard?"

Matilda was surprised but not afraid. Instead, she spoke with the curiosity and openness of a boy who was curious about the unknown.

“Just a wandering mage,” Rezhe replied calmly, though it was only one of his public identities.

"Like Merlin, King Arthur's mentor?"

As if she had heard a very interesting and intriguing answer, Matilda asked with a face full of curiosity and joy.

It's safe to say that almost everyone living on the British Isles is familiar with the legends surrounding King Arthur.

But when Rezer heard this woman compare him to that piece of trash Merlin, and Matilda looked on with a slightly panicked expression, an unpleasant smile appeared on his lips.

She thought she had offended the wizard and was afraid that he might leave if he was unhappy. With a wizard right in front of her, Matilda really longed for a free and unrestrained life, and she felt that she could find the answer in him.

Lei Zhe wasn't angered by the woman's words. He simply raised his right hand from beneath his tattered ancient robe, made a subtle arc with his index finger and thumb, and said, "Only a tiny bit better than Merlin."

Seeing that the other person wasn't angry, and hearing what they said, Matilda's eyes lit up, and she smiled without any hesitation, saying:

"Magician, can you teach me magic? I'm not greedy, I just want to learn how to fly."

Indeed, she wasn't very greedy. Although Matilda had a boyish personality, she knew how to keep her distance.

Once she learned to fly, could her father and guards still stop her?

"But why should I teach you?"

Lei Zhe looked at the tomboy with interest and asked with a smile.

"Sigh!?" Matilda's expression suddenly turned unpleasant. She puffed out her delicate little face and looked at Rezer in front of her. What he said did make sense. Why should someone who was not related to her teach her?

After thinking it over, Matilda realized that she couldn't possibly resort to force.

And in front of her was a magician who claimed to be slightly stronger than Merlin. Putting aside whether it was true or not, just the fact that the other party could fly meant that if she was unhappy with her, she would probably just fly away.

Matilda paused for a moment, then drew her knight's sword, her eyes fixed intently on Reiji, and said:

"How about we have a duel? If I win, you'll teach me how to fly, okay?"

Looking at the woman in front of him, who was heroic and exuded an overwhelming aura of authority and presence, if it weren't for her female face and body, her posture and demeanor alone would have made her seem as bold and masculine as a man.

Moreover, the person who can see one's own existence is not ordinary; they are a noble person.

The other person may become an artist who will be remembered for generations, a politician who will be of great importance to a country, a brave and skilled general on the battlefield, a criminal who has committed heinous crimes... or even the mother of these people.

In the Type-Moon universe, they are beings worthy of being recorded in history and destined to become Heroic Spirits.

Reizhe's eyes reflected the future of the bold woman before him, and he finally nodded knowingly, smiling as he said:

"If you win, I can grant you any request. But what if you lose?"

"Hmm... then what do you want?" Matilda asked thoughtfully. Someone as unique as her shouldn't care about money or anything like that.

"How about becoming an actor in my eternal stage play? Give me your life!"

"Huh?! You want me?!"

Matilda's boldness vanished instantly, replaced by a shy blush on her delicate face.

Become an actress in the Eternal Stage Play? Although she didn't know what that meant, Matilda clearly understood the implications of sacrificing her life for it.

No matter how strong-willed and masculine she may be, she is ultimately just a woman.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not after your beauty. I'm just gathering high-end actors for my horror drama 'Beat the Gods.' After you become my actor by paying the price of your life, you can say goodbye to everything from your past. You will step into an endless abyss of hell, fighting on and on until death..."

Rezé explained the cause and effect to Matilda and his purpose, because he could see that the girl yearned for a heroic life model and for the concept of struggle to appear in her life.

That's right, he has his eye on this important figure in Shakugan no Shana. In the original story, her destiny is to become the slayer of the Flame-Haired Shakugan.

The previous contractor of the true demon god of the Crimson World, "Heavenly Calamity Fire".

In fact, she was a top-tier presence even among the background characters. She was able to unleash the maximum power of the demon god and annihilate countless "kings" and "disciples." She was recognized as the strongest person in medieval Europe.

She possesses overwhelming authority and presence, and is an elegant and fierce heroine known as a "female hero".

Such a noble person, and the fate that led Matilda to actively pursue Reiji, made Reiji take a liking to this girl.

The other party is qualified to become a high-end actor favored by the domineering god.

Upon hearing what Rezé said, Matilda's heart pounded, and a yearning from the depths of her soul arose within her.

As the only woman in her family, she was always taught how to be a dignified lady.

Etiquette and art were her whole life, but Matilda never liked or craved them.

What she sought was the status and freedom that men in this era enjoyed, as well as a desire for "fighting."

In an era where women were extremely looked down upon, Matilda possessed an indomitable spirit. She wanted freedom, self-reliance, to fight, and to prove that she was no less than a man.

The new life that Lei Zhe described was exactly what she longed for. Her soul and heart told her that she must be the actress the man in front of her was talking about.

P.S.: Please vote and recommend! There will be a brand new stage play adaptation of The Wrath of God later, but it will be a volume after Reiji's reincarnation.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Matilda Steps into the Shura Alley, A New Eternal Destruction

"Your price is a reward to me. I really want to lose to you right now, but I can't bring myself to admit defeat without a fight. If I win, I can get whatever I want, right?"

Matilda's face lit up with eager excitement; she felt that her decision to chase after the magician was absolutely the right one.

Her deepest desire was to fight, but the world had taken that away from her.

They possess an independent personality and a strong desire to be true to themselves.

Lei Zhe could clearly sense that the girl's desires were very similar to the foundation of the Asura Path Supreme Heaven, except that she lacked that twisted, domineering love.

She yearns for a world where she can fight, wants to break free from the demure facade of this era, and desires her own freedom!

"Hmm, unlike the dazzling gold, it is as fiery and sincere as a red lotus. Your pure desire for battle and struggle is truly beautiful."

His words were full of recognition and praise for the heroine. Reiji slowly stood up from the somersault cloud and conjured a knight's sword of equal size in Matilda's line of sight, pointing it at the girl in front of him who was excited to the point of happiness.

Lei Zhe's words of approval and praise cracked the shell of the girl's suppressed heart, like a ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds, giving the girl the guiding light she longed for.

Is my desire to fight not rebellion, but something pure and beautiful?

"I......"

Her words were choked with emotion and excitement, and a fierce red lotus fire seemed to ignite deep within the girl's eyes.

I have never felt this way before. To be recognized and understood for my unconventional behavior is such a happy thing.

For the first time, a noblewoman who yearns for battle but feels out of place in this era and rejected by the world feels that the world is no longer boring and tedious.

“My name is Matilda Saint-Milu, from the Saint-Milu family… No! Right now, I’m just an ordinary warrior!”

Pointing her sword at the magician before her, the girl announced her name and identity, not as a noblewoman, but as the identity she desired and longed for.

"Name? Rhine Upronos is the name I use in this world. As for my current identity, I am just a wandering magician."

Finally... finally I've met someone who can take themselves seriously and see themselves as a warrior.

Matilda was filled with joy as she faced the mysterious being who claimed to be a magician.

"choke--!"

Taking a deep breath, the girl's eyes became calm and sharp. Without warning, she made a probing advance and swung her knight's sword without hesitation.

Even though the skills were self-taught and still quite rudimentary, the fact that they could achieve this level demonstrates their potential and aptitude.

Lei Zhe hadn't used a sword in a long time, but he wouldn't hold back against the solemn girl who had challenged him to a duel.

Bang!

The hand gripping the sword hilt twisted sharply, delivering a vicious blow to the girl's sword-wielding hands.

Matilda, in pain, involuntarily loosened her grip on the sword, instantly releasing all the force of her swing. But before she could react, a flash of sword light filled her vision.

Pfft——!

Her vision spun 360 degrees, and Matilda, her eyes glazed over, stared at the rapidly spinning sky and earth, and her own headless corpse, before her consciousness plunged into darkness.

Then, struggling through the deep, cold darkness, I felt a pull and involuntarily opened my eyes again.

"what......"

The feeling of death and the lingering pain of being beheaded still seemed to be on her neck. Matilda, who was slumped on the ground, couldn't help but let out a scream. When she came to her senses, she looked around and at Reiji in front of her.

He saw his sword fall to the ground in front of him, a pool of blood staining the green grass, while the man in the tattered white robe was still looking down at him.

"Just now I......"

“I just killed you once, beheaded you, and then I resurrected you.”

Faced with Matilda's bewildered question, Reigen, who is now Rhine, succinctly explained what had just happened.

The girl had indeed just died once, beheaded in the battle.

"resurrection."

Touching her neck and looking at the bloodstains on the ground, Matilda finally realized that she had indeed been killed.

The first death extinguished half of her excitement, and an indescribable fear rose in her heart.

"If you're going to duel me, be prepared to kill me. You don't need to hold back. I'll take you seriously too. Even if I die, I'll bring you back to life. Want to fight again, girl who thirsts for battle?"

Looking down at Matilda, Reiji, his knight sword pointed at her, recounted the rules of true combat, and finally provoked the girl with words that seemed both taunting and disdainful.

These words were indeed very effective on Matilda, who had a strong sense of self-respect, and she immediately stood up again, sword in hand, in a fit of anger.

Although she couldn't see the eyes of the man named Rhine in front of her, judging from his tone and demeanor, he was indeed looking down on her and making a silent mockery of her fear and loss of composure.