Bound To The Dead: The Deceptive Class-E Farmer-Chapter 43: The Farmer Walks

The sky wasn’t blue anymore.

It was black.

A huge swarm of insects filled the air, wings buzzing like thunder. They blocked out the sun and made it hard to breathe. The crowd of nobles started to scream as the swarm came down, not randomly, but with purpose.

With order.

With anger.

Guards dropped their weapons. Archers hesitated, unsure whether to shoot or run.

In the middle of the stage, five prisoners stood chained up. They were covered in bruises and blood.

Nai, Putol, Ben, and Mira looked weak from torture. They could barely keep their heads up.

Elder Peter was slumped over, barely conscious.

Next to them stood Aiah. Her arms were locked in thick gloves covered with glowing runes, magic that stopped her from using her powers. Her fire was sealed. But her eyes didn’t show fear. They showed anger.

Up on the royal balcony, King Geoffrey didn’t move. For once, his usual smug smile wavered.

Only for a moment.

Then he lifted a small device to his eye, ignoring the chaos around him. The screams. The buzzing swarm.

The device zoomed in on Isaac, who stood calmly at the edge of the plaza. The locusts swirled around him like he was in control of the whole storm.

The king tapped the device, and a glowing screen appeared above the prisoners.

[Class: E]

[Specialty: Farmer]

[Abilities: Crop Cultivation, Harvest Efficiency, Soil Analysis, Livestock Farming...]

Then the king laughed. Loud and cruel. His laughter echoed through the noise of the swarm.

"This is the threat you sent me?" he said. "A Class E farmer who grows potatoes?"

Some of the nobles laughed too, but it was nervous. They kept glancing at the sky as the swarm circled above, ready to strike.

"You interrupted a royal execution with that class? What’re you going to do, feed me?"

Isaac didn’t say a word.

He didn’t even move.

His cloak blew in the wind. His sickles hung at his sides, shining in the light.

Aiah’s breath caught.

Harper stepped forward. His voice was tight and serious.

"Your Majesty... that man..."

"Quiet, Harper!" Geoffrey snapped, still staring at the screen. "Let the farmer see what happens to those who dare to disrupt me."

He looked to the archers’ commander. His smile turned cold.

"Archers. Ready."

Hundreds of archers lifted their bows. The guards pointed their swords.

Above them, the swarm screamed even louder.

The command rang out.

"Fire!"

A wave of arrows flew through the air, all aimed at Isaac.

But Isaac moved.

Not fast. Not with flair.

Just exactly how he needed to.

His green black sickles swung once. Then again.

Shhunk. Shhhk. Shhunk.

The blades cut through the arrows, breaking them mid-air. The pieces fell to the ground.

The crowd gasped. Some guards stared in disbelief.

Isaac took one step forward.

Then another.

More arrows came. He didn’t stop. His sickles kept moving, cutting or knocking each arrow aside with sharp, clean motions.

There was no magic. Just perfect control.

The nobles stopped laughing. The crowd went silent.

All that remained was the sound of metal, screams, and buzzing wings.

"Wh-What is he...?" a noble asked, voice shaking.

A group of ten guards charged forward, swords ready. They yelled as they ran.

Isaac didn’t stop.

He moved between them like he already knew where each attack would go.

One guard lunged. Isaac stepped to the side and slashed the man’s thigh.

Another came from behind. Isaac ducked and swung upward. The sickle hit the guard’s neck.

One by one, they fell.

Not because Isaac was the strongest.

But because he was in control.

His eyes never left the stage. He didn’t look at the soldiers. He didn’t look at the king.

Just the chains.

Another squad ran toward him. Isaac dropped into a crouch and spun. Both sickles swept out, cutting down three guards at once. He stood up and kicked the fourth guard in the chest. The man flew backward into the crowd.

The crowd gasped again.

Then people started to scream.

Panic spread.

And Isaac was heading straight for the center of it.

More guards ran in, twice as many as before. Archers lined the walls with arrows ready. Heavily-armored knights formed a new line in front of the stage.

"Fire again!"

A storm of arrows rained down.

Isaac moved fast, cutting arrows from the air with his sickles, but it wasn’t enough this time.

His eyes narrowed.

The swarm above thickened like a storm cloud ready to burst.

The system notification flashed

[Command is required]

Isaac spoke one word.

"Attack."

The swarm dove like a crashing wave.

They hit the archers first, biting, cutting, and swarming over them. Arrows fell from hands. Screams filled the air.

On the ground, knights raised their shields, but it didn’t help. The locusts slipped through the gaps in their armor, swarming over them too.

Nobles panicked.

They screamed. They ran. People were pushed and stepped on as they tried to escape.

Through it all, Isaac walked forward. His eyes still stayed locked on the stage.

The swarm followed his thoughts. They stayed away from him. They protected him. They moved with him.

Isaac looked toward the wounded captives.

"Swarm heal."

The system reappeared.

[Skill Activated: Swarm Heal]

A group of smaller locusts broke off from the swarm. Their bodies glowed with light.

They flew to Nai, Putol, Ben, and Elder Peter.

Tiny surgical bites stitched open wounds. Antiseptic spit sealed cuts. A warm green glow shimmered as blood flow stopped and pain dulled.

Even Mira’s eyes filled with tears when she saw it.

Some of the swarm bit through the ropes around the captives necks, setting them free. But the metal chains around their hands and feet didn’t break.

The swarm couldn’t cut steel.

Isaac walked forward. The swarm moved out of his way.

The chains clinked.

Nai looked up at him, shocked. "You came..."

Isaac didn’t say anything. He raised a sickle.

Clang!

One swing. A chain broke.

Then another. And another.

He freed them all.. Nai, Putol, Ben, Mira.

Elder Peter nearly collapsed. His voice was weak. "You... made it."

Isaac caught him. "I’m here."

He looked up.

Two guards held Aiah by the arms.

Isaac threw his sickles. They flew through the air.

Thunk!

Both guards dropped. Blood pooled under them.

The sickles snapped back to Isaac’s hands like loyal dogs returning to their master.

He walked to Aiah. His steps were steady and quiet.

She didn’t move. Her breath was shaky. Her arms were still locked in the thick gloves, covered in glowing runes.

Isaac raised a sickle and cut through the chains.

The gloves dropped to the ground.

Aiah stared at him.

Isaac leaned closer and spoke quietly.

"Show them the real heir."

"Show them the true ruler of this kingdom."

The city around them was full of chaos. Fires burned. Screaming through the air.

But in that moment, only Isaac and Aiah stood still.

Isaac stood at the center of the chaos, unmoved. Cloak whipping behind him, sickles dripping with blood.

Aiah stepped forward beside him, fire sparking in her palms now that the gloves were off.

High above the palace wall, Corpuz, a thirty year old Class S General watched from the sidelines, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

Beside him, Broner leaned against a pillar, chewing on a toothpick.

"Should we step in?" Corpuz asked, voice low.

Broner didn’t look away from the scene. "Not yet."

"He’s killing our men."

"No," Broner said, flicking the toothpick. "He’s making a statement. Besides, we haven’t received orders yet."

Up at the royal balcony, King Geoffrey’s laughter had long stopped. His face had gone pale.

The swarm wasn’t thinning.

It was growing.

And now his prized execution was turning into a massacre.

Harper turned to him.

"Shall I summon more troops, Your Majesty?"

"No," the King said sharply.

He turned to his left, where Miss Wesson stood, perfectly calm in her suit. Her pale fingers tapped on a control panel embedded in her forearm.

"How many of your pets are prepped?"

Wesson’s lips curled into a soft smile.

"Three hundred fully developed. Standing by."

"Deploy one hundred," the King ordered. "Harper will lead."

"Let the people see what true power looks like."

Wesson nodded, pressed a command, and then whispered...

"Activate Unit Set 04. Release the claws."

From a massive iron gate behind the palace, something began to stir.

Thumps. Metallic clicks. Low hissing sounds.

Then they emerged.

They crawled. Slithered. Lumbered.

A hundred of them.

One had long arms that dragged on the ground, with sharp claws that scratched the floor as it moved.

Another walked on spider-like legs. Its upper body still looked human, but when it opened its mouth, it showed several rows of sharp teeth.

A huge one walked on crab legs. It had one big claw that twitched like it couldn’t wait to snap. Its stretched face and small eyes looked all wrong.

Some had bone and metal fused like armor. Others had no eyes, just steam hissing from narrow slits.

Each one different. All of them humanoids.

They roared.

They screamed.

They clicked.

They twitched.

And they moved with purpose.

And leading them...

Harper.

He stepped forward, growling, his voice like metal scraping bone.

"Farmboy..."

The humanoids lined up behind him.

And then they charged.

Straight toward Isaac.