Bound To The Dead: The Deceptive Class-E Farmer-Chapter 53: He Caught The Lightning

The sky dimmed with the buzzing and chirping of wings.

Tens of thousands of locusts filled the air, forming tight ranks. They hovered, waiting for a command.

"Attack," Isaac shouted.

The swarm dove toward Geoffrey like a wave crashing down from the clouds.

Geoffrey smirked.

He didn’t flinch.

He looked ready, like he had been waiting for this moment.

"Don’t blink, farm boy. Watch as your bugs turn to ash."

He raised his hand, palm open.

Bolts of lightning flickered between his fingers. They grew quickly, twisting into root-like veins of chained arcs. They sparked and snapped, hungry for the swarm.

As soon as the locusts closed in, Geoffrey unleashed the storm.

A sharp crack split the air.

Arcs of lightning shot out in every direction. The sound of static roared like thunder.

Each bolt burned everything it touched. Locusts exploded mid-flight, their bodies fried in an instant. The swarm shrieked in pain.

Isaac’s eyes widened.

Explosions shook the air as bolts of lightning continued to burst from Geoffrey’s body. No locust could get closer than three meters. Any that tried were burned up instantly.

Geoffrey’s power seemed out of control. His eyes glowed bright white. Lightning bolts flew from his hands and chest, striking houses, stores, and even people.

Isaac’s eyes narrowed. He sensed danger, stray lightning bolts could land anywhere.

Nai was lying in the open, bleeding and unable to move.

A line of lightning formed in the air, heading straight for him.

Nai saw it too. But he couldn’t dodge and was too weak to move. He just shut his eyes, accepting what was coming.

The bolt landed.

When he opened his eyes, Isaac was above him, arms spread, shielding his body. Smoke rose from Isaac’s back, his armor partly melted.

Nai looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Y-You’re... insane," he rasped, voice barely audible. "But... th-thanks..."

Isaac gave a weak, half-smile through the pain.

"Insane gets the job done."

He grunted and pulled Nai to safety behind a broken stone column.

The notification screen flashed.

[Warning: Energy Level 16%]

[Tool Savant: Available]

"Stay low." He muttered as he looked around.

More lightning strikes were flying across the square. Several soldiers dropped to the ground after being hit.

"Everyone, take cover!" Isaac yelled.

Then he saw a child hiding under a wooden cart. It wouldn’t protect against another strike.

Isaac sprinted and dove over the boy.

A stray lightning struck toward them.

He covered the boy.

Isaac’s body shook. His skin burned. He bit down hard, refusing to cry out.

[Warning: Energy Level 11%]

He could feel it now, his body getting weaker.

But he wasn’t done yet.

After getting the kid to safety with the others, Isaac turned away. He didn’t have time to rest.

A screen blinked in front of him.

[Swarm Status: 68% lost]

"What the hell..." he muttered, eyes wide.

He expected losses, but not this fast. Two minutes hadn’t even passed and more than half of them were gone.

"They’re not gonna make it," he said through gritted teeth.

His chest tightened. At this rate, his swarm would be completely wiped out before the cooldown finished.

He checked the timer.

[Abyssal Overdrive: Cooldown 00:04:20]

He cursed under his breath. Every second felt like a lifetime.

The plaza was still in chaos, stray lightning cracked through the air, screams echoed from every direction. Even nobles in the palace above were getting hit.

Geoffrey stood in the center, glowing, out of control.

Isaac’s hands tightened into fists. His swarm was being torn apart. People were dying. And he couldn’t do anything yet.

"Swarm Authority," he said, voice sharp.

[Swarm Authority Active. Command?]

"Retreat."

The swarm responded. What was left of them pulled back, but Geoffrey only grinned.

He tilted his head, eyes glowing.

"That won’t work," he said with a wide smile.

More bolts flew. Even the retreating locusts were caught in it. One by one, they turned to ash.

By the time they cleared the airspace, the damage was done.

[Swarm Status: 86% lost]

His jaw clenched.

Geoffrey wasn’t slowing down. If anything, he looked stronger, drunk on power, arms spread wide as if daring the world to stop him.

What was Isaac supposed to do?

Just stand still, wait four minutes, and watch more people die?

Or risk everything to stop Geoffrey now, without his swarm, without Overdrive, energy nearly gone.

His eyes narrowed.

This wasn’t just about him anymore.

This reminded him of what happened to his village, the massacre. He wasn’t there to stop it.

And he wouldn’t let it happen again.

Not here. Not while he was still standing.

He closed his eyes.

[Skill Activated: Tool Savant]

The twin sickles glowed dark purple. Smoke curled up the blades as they shifted into their deadly form.

He opened his eyes. Then he ran straight at Geoffrey.

The lightning bolt didn’t stop him.

Geoffrey turned and raised his hand. A flash of lightning sparked around his wrist.

Isaac didn’t care. He swung fast, aiming for Geoffrey’s shoulder.

The sickle hit, but it didn’t go deep. Lightning wrapped around Geoffrey’s body, forming a shield.

Geoffrey raised a finger and flicked it toward Isaac.

A bolt hit Isaac in the chest.

He staggered, coughing smoke.

[Energy Level: 9%]

Isaac growled and stepped forward. He swung again. Geoffrey caught the blade with his hand, lightning crawling up his arm, and threw Isaac back.

Isaac hit the ground hard. He rolled, then rose again.

He charged.

This time he faked a slash, ducked under Geoffrey’s arm, and cut low.

The sickle slashed Geoffrey’s thigh, drawing a line of blood.

But Geoffrey didn’t flinch. He clenched his fist and slammed it into Isaac’s ribs.

Lightning burst out.

Isaac dropped to one knee.

[Energy Level: 6%]

He was breathing hard. His legs were shaking. But he forced himself up.

Geoffrey stepped forward and kicked him in the chest.

Isaac flew back and hit the ground again.

[Energy Level: 4%]

[Abyssal Overdrive: Cooldown 00:00:46]

’Just a little bit more,’ Isaac thought, his legs barely holding him up.

Suddenly, Geoffrey moved again, another massive wave of lightning burst out from his body. Bolts shot in every direction, striking houses, soldiers, civilians who hadn’t escaped in time.

But this time, Geoffrey’s glowing white eyes locked straight on him.

Isaac gritted his teeth and forced his body to move. He dodged the first bolt. Then the second. And a third. But they kept coming.

He ducked, rolled, stumbled forward, until one finally hit.

A sharp burst of pain ripped through his back as lightning exploded on impact.

"Got you," Geoffrey muttered with a smile.

Isaac crashed onto the ground. Smoke curled off his back. His body twitched.

[Energy Level: 2%]

His vision blurred. Everything started to dim. He tried to move his fingers, but they didn’t listen.

[Abyssal Overdrive: Cooldown 00:00:29]

’I won’t make it,’ he thought.

[Warning: Energy Critical - Consciousness at Risk]

[System Override: Emergency Authority Engaged]

[Warning: Unknown Entity Accessing Core Functions...]

Isaac blinked. The messages flashed and faded before he could read them clearly.

His body suddenly stopped trembling.

His breathing evened out.

Then, darkness.

Isaac didn’t move.

The sky held its breath.

Not a bird moved. Not a leaf stirred. Even the wind stopped, like the world itself was watching.

Then, the animals fled.

From the trees beyond the city, flocks of birds burst into the sky, shrieking. Stray dogs howled and ran. From afar, horses broke their reins and kicked free.

Isaac’s body twitched.

He lay broken and still in the center of the ruin plaza, face down. His back was scorched black. His shirt had burned into his skin. The Twin Reaper Sickles rested a few feet away, dark and still.

His fingers moved. His chest slowly rose and fell.

Then came the hum.

It was soft at first, so low you felt it more than heard it. Like the world itself was groaning. The ground trembled. Chains rattled.

The swarm, what remained of it, stopped retreating.

They didn’t need a command.

They turned in the air, one by one. The buzzing grew louder. And they returned, not with obedience, but with fear. Something darker than instinct pulled them back.

Isaac rose.

Slowly.

His body straightened with perfect balance, like he wasn’t lifting himself, like something else pulled the strings. His head lifted. His arms dropped to his sides. Smoke curled from his skin, but the wounds were gone.

Then his eyes opened.

They were black. Not just the iris. The whole eye. Bottomless.

No light. No life.

The air dropped ten degrees. People backed away without realizing it. Nobles watching from balconies gripped the rails.

Even Geoffrey flinched.

The hum grew deeper. The Twin Reaper Sickles floated into Isaac’s hands. He didn’t reach for them, they simply moved to him, blades glowing with dark purple fire.

He looked at Geoffrey.

And then he moved.

One step.

The stone cracked beneath his foot.

Two steps.

The wind howled back into the plaza, like the world remembered how to breathe, and wanted to run.

Isaac raised his arm.

Lightning formed in the air, aiming at his chest.

It struck.

And he didn’t fall.

He caught it.

The bolt landed in his hand and vanished.

No burn. No wound.

Geoffrey’s face twisted.

"No," Geoffrey muttered. "That’s impossible..."

Isaac didn’t answer.

The swarm roared to life behind him.

He charged forward, faster than before, faster than anyone had seen him move.

The first slash came like a shadow. Geoffrey blocked it, but barely. The second struck his chest. Blood spilled.

Geoffrey screamed.