786 Bear, Fights the Ice Dragon Part 3 - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Kagari was engulfed by the chilling breath of the ice dragon in my stead. Because of my mistake, Kagari had to endure it. The child-like drinking companion. The one who fights by my side despite the dangers. The one who offers advice in times of need. "Kagari-san!" Having been pushed aside, I rolled onto the ground and immediately started searching for her. But with the ice dragon continuously exhaling its frigid breath, I couldn’t see her anywhere. If an ordinary person were to take the full brunt of the ice dragon's icy breath... This is my fault. It was because I suggested we fight the ice dragon. I thought we could manage thanks to my bear gear. I was genuinely delighted when Kagari said she would come along. I should have insisted she decline. What will I tell Sakura...? The ice dragon eventually ceased its freezing onslaught. "Kagari-san..." At the place where the cold subsided, Kagari floated, suspended in the air. "Kagari-san...?" Kagari had transformed into a fox, and steam was rising from her body. As her floating form slowly descended to the ground, she reverted to her original youthful appearance. I rushed over and caught her in my arms. Kagari slowly opened her eyes. "Do not touch me. You shall get burned." Steam was still rising from Kagari's body. It seems she had used her own heat to withstand the cold. I'm truly relieved that she's safe. If anything were to happen to Kagari because of me, I would never forgive myself. "It’s okay. My armor is special," I reassured her, holding her close with relief. Hugging her, Kagari seemed to soften with joy. "And yet, are you okay...?" Despite being the one in danger, she was worried about me. "Yeah, I'm fine. But are you truly alright, Kagari-san?" Even now, steam was emanating from her body. Due to the heat from Kagari's body, the surrounding snow and ice were melting. It just shows how hot Kagari's body had become. Thus, she was able to endure the ice dragon's freezing breath. "I am fine. However, I don’t think I can continue fighting. I apologize..." "No, you've done enough. Leave the rest to me." I summoned Kumayuru. "Kumayuru, take care of Kagari-san." "Kuuu~n." Kumayuru approached Kagari with concern. "I am quite hot, you know." "Kuuu~n." "It'll be alright." I carefully placed Kagari on Kumayuru's back. "Stay a little distant." With Kagari on its back, Kumayuru moved away. I never thought I'd meet someone willing to risk their life to protect me. Something has changed. In this world, more people have stepped up to help me. I felt slightly pleased knowing I have people willing to protect me, just as I'm willing to protect them. But if my carelessness causes harm to these precious people, I won't be able to forgive myself. I need to properly thank Kagari later. But before that, I must defeat the ice dragon. I fixed my gaze on the ice dragon. Though it had remained at the edge of my vision, it hadn't moved since earlier. Perhaps the continuous release of freezing breath had taxed its body significantly. Did it want to kill me that badly, enough to overexert itself? The protective earth from the bear had shielded the town from the second wave of cold breath too. Kagari's heat helped weaken the chill, allowing us to withstand it. Kagari protected not just me, but the town as well. The ice dragon glared at me. It raised its head and roared towards the sky. Dusk was setting in. I need to finish this before nightfall. I raced around the dragon. If fire is useless, what about lightning? While lower temperatures make ice less conductive, the ice dragon is still a living being. I won't know until I try. Bear Lightning! A lightning bolt in the shape of a bear surged towards the ice dragon's face. The bear-shaped lightning was deflected by the dragon’s arm. It showed no signs of being affected. The dragon's tail swung. I dodged it, moving to its back and using earth magic instead. Countless sharp spears assaulted the dragon, but its tough hide repelled them effortlessly. Not a single spear penetrated. Then, wind magic. "Bear Wind Magic!" Numerous wind attacks took the form of bear claws and struck the ice dragon. They left mere scratches on its skin. How tough is this creature? Fire, lightning, earth, wind—none of my magics were effective. I contemplated my next move while observing the dragon, sensing something unusual about its behavior. The spot where Kagari took the cold—it seemed like the ice dragon avoided it. Was that just my imagination? Come to think of it, even its tail never ventured too far into that area. Moving to the spot where Kagari had been, I noticed the dragon hesitating. Why? The area was merely waterlogged from Kagari's heat melting the surrounding ice and snow. The cold air turned to water from the heat. Could it be avoiding water? I looked at the ice dragon’s feet. Ice clung to them. "........" Thinking back, throughout the battle, the dragon had avoided areas where my fire had melted the snow and ice. Instead, it would freeze areas made wet from melting by exhaling its cold breath. Why didn’t I notice sooner? The ice dragon continuously cooled itself from the inside out. Whether it's magical or unique to the ice dragon's biology, I don't know. But recognizing that it has to keep cooling itself is crucial. Hence, it would freeze when soaked. I had assumed water wouldn't affect ice. But perhaps even if water doesn’t harm the dragon directly, it could still be the key to defeating it. I gathered my magic and formed a water orb the size of a soccer ball. As the ice dragon noticed the orb, its wings moved. There’s no escape. The water orb grazed the side of the dragon, hitting its wing, causing the area of impact to freeze. Forcing its wings to move, the dragon attempted to break the ice, but I wouldn’t allow it. One after another, water orbs hit the ice dragon, freezing its wings. Eventually, its wings stopped moving. I aimed water orbs to strike and freeze various parts of its body—its feet, hands. While the dragon struggled against the ice binding it, it was already too late. The spell had been prepared. Above the ice dragon, an enormous bear-shaped mass of water formed. "This ends now." I lowered the large bear-shaped water mass. As it enveloped the ice dragon, the bear-shaped water began to crackle and freeze. The ice dragon tried to escape, but this wasn't ordinary water. It was the bear water magic I crafted. There was no way it could get away. I simply moved the bear-shaped water wherever the dragon attempted to flee. Its frigid body caused the water to freeze, and I further aided this process by freezing the bear water with my magic. The ice dragon, freezing itself from within with its own magic, was now frozen externally with mine. Its wings and legs, attempting to move, became immobilized. Struggling with its arms, the dragon gradually succumbed, becoming entirely encased in ice. An ice dragon trapped in ice—it’s almost a joke. Yet, it’s over now. I couldn’t help but feel a bit foolish for not realizing this sooner. Had I noticed earlier, it wouldn’t have been such a struggle. Kagari wouldn’t have been put in such danger. "Girl, you’ve defeated it, have you?" Kagari, sitting atop Kumayuru, approached. I was relieved she hadn’t collapsed again. "Yeah, as you can see," I replied. The ice dragon was frozen solid. "But technically, it's just sealed in ice," I clarified. I'd been using my detection skills, and the ice dragon's presence hadn't disappeared. Meaning, it was still alive inside the ice. The dragon was only frozen. If the ice melts and it's released, it would start moving again. "Indeed, I can feel its magic," Kagari observed. "What do you think we should do?" "How should I know? You're the one who caught it by freezing," Kagari retorted. "I didn't intend to capture it. I just saw it freeze the water and thought it might end up freezing itself with its breath." I had further frozen it using my magic. Maybe breaking the ice wouldn't be as easy as I imagined. "But leaving it like this forever isn’t an option." Letting the ice melt would certainly bring disaster. But we can't freeze it perpetually either. If the ice dragon stops emitting its cold and we cease external freezing, the ice might melt. "Still, we can't exactly keep watching over the ice dragon like you watched that serpent's seal." "I refuse to," Kagari insisted. "I wasn't planning to ask you to." Perhaps Mumroot could devise a semi-permanent freezing magic circle? I’m unsure if such a magic circle even exists. "How about drilling a small hole in the ice near its mouth and pouring in some poison?" "That's a chilling idea you've got," Kagari remarked with a hint of unease. Because I can't think of a surefire way to defeat it. "Well, do you have any ideas, Kagari-san?" "Drop it into the ocean?" "If it stops emitting cold, it would thaw," I pointed out. That is, if the dragon can control its body temperature freely. Rationally, it should. "What should we really do?" "If neither of us can solve it, perhaps we should leave it up to the ice dragon." Kagari turned her gaze towards the setting sun. There, heading our way, were ice dragons. Two of them, to be precise. "We're not fighting them, are we?" "They don’t appear to be battling," Kagari noted. "They’re not chasing them, right?" "Doesn't look like it." "Weren’t they fighting just a moment ago?" "Let’s hope they didn’t become friends and are now coming to defeat us," Kagari mused. "Please don’t jinx it," I replied, worried. A second fight was the last thing I wanted, especially against two dragons simultaneously. As we exchanged these words, the ice dragons landed in front of us.