Conquering His Cold Heart

Chapter 727 Living mana battery (2)

"Alright, where do you want me next ma'am?" Frost clambered up from the runic circle, dusted himself off and asked with an obsessive glint in his eyes. He found the forceful absorption of his mana to be quite a thrilling exercise. The effect was similar to him casting spell after spell, but the feeling was a little different, novel even.

'Tsk cocky little brat.' Ketta internally clicked her tongue, but a wide smile adorned her lips, she loved high quality goods. The battery corps was always in need of worthy vic..volunteers after all.

The older woman thought to herself for a few seconds before landing her gaze upon one of the most draining things under her care. When she turned back to Frost her expression was full of malice and eager excitement.

"Since you've got mana as high as the sky we'll have to assign you to something a little more extreme Miles! Hook our new friend here up to our biggest B-rank mana cannon." Ketta summoned one of her close subordinates stationed near the high ranking mana cannons.

Miles a middle-aged man with flame-like scars around his eyes turned in their direction. He let out a small sigh upon seeing Frost before following Ketta's orders.

"This way pup and word of warning the drain from these babies are at the very least triple what the Gamma team's capable of outputting, prepare yourself."

"Got it thanks for the warning." Frost felt tested at every turn, like a commodity being forced to display all his talents for his observers enjoyment. Not a very nice feeling but it did stoke a fire within him.

Miles deposited Frost next to one of the B-rank mana cannons one of the most powerful war machines the War Ursa Battalion had access to. To the left of the cannon was a pool of half liquid mana and half high quality crystals while on the right was Frost and another two individuals serving as living batteries.

"Hoh you must be quite a vigorous kid if Ketta's assigned you to our team." One of the other batteries, an ancient woman easily in her 80s lightly spoke.

"Hmm." The other person a taciturn man, similar in age to the woman merely grunted in greeting.

Frost seemed to be the youngest assigned to the high ranking cannons by a long margin.

"Hands out kid." Miles bellowed before attaching a set of strange gauntlets to Frost's hands. A thick cable physically connected these gauntlets to the cannon to provide a more efficient transfer of energy. They also had the nasty feature of locking the battery in place, preventing escape.

"Take a deep breath and…..now." Miles locked the connection, inputted a few things into the nearby device and a couple seconds later Frost felt a suction so extreme that he unconsciously stumbled forward.

'W…What the hell!' His mind was in chaos as his body reacted rather aggressively in response to the rampant devouring. Instinctively he tried to slow the devouring force but the second he did that he felt an overwhelming pressure across his entire body, and he remembered the warning Ketta gave earlier, he was not to resist.

"Urgh!" He loudly groaned as he felt a searing pain throughout his mana veins and even muscles as they unconsciously spasmed in response.

If supplying mana to the gamma team was the kiddie pool then this was the straight up ocean. Not only did he need to know how to stay afloat he needed to brace himself against sudden currents, waves and even dips in temperature. A whole different kind of beast that was putting a real strain on his body.

As sweat trickled down his forehead he turned to gaze at the old man and woman who were seated beside him. They were under the same kind of influence, yet they didn't look even the slightest bit perturbed.

About 60 seconds later the aggressive devouring came to a sudden stop, the old man and woman took this chance to instantly relax their bodies and take in some much need air. The woman even flicked her wrist resulting in a nearby battery corps member to hand her a mana potion.

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Unfortunately Frost was too out of it to notice this shift. The absence of pain only allowed him to regain focus for a moment before.

Booom!!! The cannon they were supplying fired off a massive shot, careening deep into enemy lines, killing dozens and even injuring an officer.

In the next moment however the cycle restarted, and Frost was once again plunged into the depth of a starving ocean. He was wracked with pain and couldn't think clearly but strangely enough there was a smile on his lips. He could sense it; such violent training was perfect for someone like him who was gifted with a near perfect vessel for a physical body.

While others would feel strain from a simple workout he'd have to go above and beyond to feel a true sense of burn and desperation.

Ketta may have wished to humble the young upstart, show him the true height of the world but instead she lit a fire under a training maniac's feet.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Over the next forty minutes the massive B-rank cannon that Frost was linked to would occasionally fire off its shots into the enemy ranks, granting him and the two oldies no more than 30 seconds of rest before each charging. For the first five shots Frost was completely overwhelmed, his head a complete mess as he barely endured the terrifying devouring of his mana but after requesting a mana potion and using the brief rest time to relax and breathe he slowly grew accustomed to the ebb and flow.

'Pull, pull, twist, wave, cold, hot, release.' The suction of mana wasn't a constant stream but everchanging, a method that felt quite debilitating at first but after suffering a few cycles Frost found that such changes kept him awake and even allowed for certain areas of his mana veins to recuperate during the charging phase.

After the tenth shot he was able to keep his eyes open and even take in some of the spectacular sight that was the B-rank mana cannon. He could see the war machine greedily devour both the mana from himself and the other batteries as well as the pool of high quality magic crystals. The vibrant slurry of mixed mana was churned and blended into a beautiful and dense purple liquid. This concoction was of such high quality that it radiated power even when inert.

After the fifteenth shot Frost could briefly enjoy seeing the purple liquid transform into a giant blazing sphere and devastate the enemy lines before the Northern wall and it wasn't the only one. Five of such monstrosities were currently in operation along with dozens of C-rank cannons and over a hundred D-rank ones which were on a constant unending salvo.

By the time forty minutes were up and he could feel that his body reached its true limit Frost could even hear and understand the orders of General Jessica. She'd always order for the cannon to target the most vulnerable areas and even utilise organised salvos. Just once he was able to momentarily see a bright flash of light and the next second hear a thunderous boom as all five B-rank cannons, several C-ranks and even tens of D-rank cannons shot forth at the same time, launching out a formation of mana spheres over a targeted area.

Ear piercing screams barely lasted a single second before a massive star shape was carved into the snow and soil beneath the enemy soldiers.

Those with a prime view were able to see thousands of enemy monsters instantly turned to ash along with 3 high ranking officers who had underestimated the devastation of the cannons. The salvo even forced the enemy general to make a move allowing both Jared and Danielle a moment's reprieve and an opportunity to land a serious blow.

Alas General Vash was quick to respond, as though expecting such a move he had already ordered another General to move into place while several high ranking B-rank officers moved to prevent disarray where the cannons targeted. Confusion and chaos lasted a mere 40 seconds before order was restored and the frontline was back into full swing.

"Alright shift's over….kid you've earned some much deserved R&R, I'll tell the General of your efforts." Ketta truly couldn't keep a straight expression before Frost, she wanted to bind him to their magic corps as much as Jessica now. As long as he joined he'd be hers until he picked up their war magic, a battery of the highest quality was always needed.

"My time's over already?" Though extremely exhausted he felt that his experience with the magic corps was far shorter and far less impactful at the individual level than the Vanguard team.

"Yes it is kid, anymore and even someone with your abilities will suffer permanent damage." Ketta shook her head with clear reluctance, but that was the current situation.

While Frost was pumping out his mana she had done a little digging into him and also received the occasional visit from Flora asking about his situation. Cleary the General despite not being able to move personally was rather interested in Frost's capabilities. She was also informed about his still upcoming duties with the cavalry corps, meaning she couldn't wreck him completely.

He would be given a health potion, a mana potion, an energising potion as well as an hour's rest before being sent back into the direct fight. A harsh but certainly productive schedule.

Frost could only blame himself for being so useful and limited on time.