If one were a mage with proper inheritance and a teacher's guidance, then at Circle Three, they would gain preliminary understanding of the Astral Plane under their teacher's supervision. At Circle Four, they'd begin studying it. Several polymorph-type spells—like temporarily transforming into an angel or demon—had to be mastered. After entering Circle Five, they could venture to the outer edges of the Astral Plane independently to explore and learn.
A self-taught mage lacked these conditions. Even if you killed Bella, she wouldn't dare venture into the Astral Plane. Going in blind? That was insane—or a death wish.
There was a ninety percent chance she'd never return. Going in meant death.
Lacking relevant knowledge meant that while her spell level wasn't low, she'd never taken that step—because she simply didn't dare!
If full marks were a hundred points, her current understanding of space was basically at a ten or twenty-point level.
When the Divine Dragon asked if she knew their current location, she could only shake her head. She couldn't speak carelessly about this. She couldn't bluff—she simply didn't know.
The Divine Dragon didn't keep her in suspense, speaking honestly: "The spatial coordinates here are very close to the real world. Even though they're close, this region still belongs to Hell. If I release the protective barrier, Hell's will will invade Ashina."
Close to Hell? Bella wasn't surprised by this answer. She'd suspected earlier that Shura carried demonic energy. This merely confirmed her previous observation.
What surprised her was that the Divine Dragon seemed to have some knowledge about spatial displacement. She understood this field?
Bella didn't hold back at all. When she had questions, she asked: "You understand spatial knowledge? Could you teach me?"
The Divine Dragon's head rose high, seeming quite proud: "Of course! I'm very powerful!"
Hearing her boastful tone, Bella's expectations immediately dropped a level.
This creature was probably also a hack—just look at how she'd recklessly teleported, sending Ashina to Hell. That showed her skill level... too reckless.
Still, if nothing else worked, perhaps she could only learn from this creature.
"Good, from today on, you're my friend! Can you leave the Fountainhead Palace and stop the war below Ashina? The current fighting is meaningless."
The Divine Dragon's voice cooled: "...I cannot participate in human battles."
Bella pointed around, raising her voice: "Little Sakura, you've been away from the outside world for too long. Humans are killing each other out there, demonic power is influencing everyone here."
Who was Little Sakura? The Divine Dragon took a moment before realizing she meant herself... She felt this woman was really good at getting familiar. Were they that close?
However, facing Bella's seemingly especially sincere eyes, she didn't refuse. It was just a form of address, after all.
Bella continuously described Shura's threat: "Right now, every person who dies on the battlefield increases that thing's power."
"Stop the war, make it end, then..." Bella hesitated. Shura, this type of demon, was truly bizarre—couldn't be killed, couldn't be destroyed. As long as a bit of resentment remained, he could resurrect.
Talking about this raised another question: "Could it be that Shura doesn't represent himself—Hell's will has already invaded Ashina? ...But that's not right. If this place is near Hell, how did we enter from the material plane? I didn't sense any demons or Hell's will when I came in."
Mentioning this, the Divine Dragon's tone carried a trace of anger: "It was Takeru! Back then, those several people tricked me out and severed my arm. Though I quickly brought Ashina into hiding near Hell, because my body was incomplete, they still detected it. They must have used some method to track down Ashina. The specifics I don't know..."
Tricked out? Only then did Bella notice an issue. Where did the Divine Dragon come from? The Sekiro game only said "from the West"—west of Japan—without specifying.
"...This question is somewhat presumptuous, but where are you from? Are you a creature born on Earth?"
The Divine Dragon's tone carried pride: "I come from the sacred land of K'un-Lun, belonging to the Divine Dragon clan."
Though the Divine Dragon's tone was solemn, Bella still detected a hint of uncertainty. A scene automatically formed in her mind—a small kitten showing its claws and teeth, telling everyone, "I'm super fierce!"
The sacred land of K'un-Lun is home to the Iron Fist. Each generation's Iron Fist had to challenge the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying. That was about all she remembered. K'un-Lun in the Marvel world was too mysterious, uninvolved in many events.
Originally, Bella thought the Divine Dragon was a wild creature who'd achieved success through cultivation and, finding too many powerful beings on the mainland, crossed the sea to Japan. Now it seemed she'd been mistaken. This creature appeared naive but actually had quite a background.
"Who tricked you? Takeru? Is this person just called Takeru?"
"Five traitors from K'un-Lun. They weren't willing to follow K'un-Lun's precepts, so they deceived me..."
Her tone remained solemn, but Bella felt the Divine Dragon had an indignant, puffed-up appearance.
"Five people? Five people...? Oh! I know! The Hand?"
"Never heard of them. I don't understand what you mean."
Bella was eighty percent certain—it was the Hand! Only those five shameless individuals would deceive a "little loli" like the Divine Dragon.
Try that with an adult dragon! One swipe would kill them!
The five weren't much in K'un-Lun, but in the outside world, with their martial skills, they could be considered masters in comparison.
They'd learned unique 'chi' from K'un-Lun—something resembling internal energy from her past life's martial arts novels.
'Chi' could extend one's lifespan and in battle could greatly enhance one's strength, speed, and endurance.
The deeper the 'chi,' the stronger the combat power.
A sword saint like Isshin Ashina could practice swordsmanship for a lifetime—at most achieving high comprehension. His actual combat level wouldn't undergo qualitative change. He remained an ordinary mortal.
But the five Hand members who practiced 'chi' were different. 'Chi' could accumulate. The more they practiced, the deeper their power grew.
Imagine someone like Wu Yazi practicing Beiming Divine Skill—practicing frantically for four hundred years. That should give you a sense of the Five Fingers of the Hand's strength.
The Hand had trapped her this time. If she didn't retaliate, she wouldn't sleep soundly.
"It should be those five Hand members. They're still alive. Do you want revenge?"
Bella was like dangling a lollipop before a child—want to eat it?
"Of course!"
"Boom!" "Boom!" Thunder crashed continuously in the sky, threatening to become a thunderstorm. The Divine Dragon was angry—very angry.
Seeing an opening, Bella added fuel to the fire.
"Don't you want to go home? After we get revenge, I'll send you back to K'un-Lun."
The Divine Dragon was delighted, but then became dejected: "I was still young when I left K'un-Lun. I don't know K'un-Lun's exact location."