Leo stays on guard as he speaks

-Don't resist, I don't want to have to hurt you, but I'll do it if necessary.

Sapere walks nervously towards Leo.

-Humpf! Do you ask me to calmly go to my execution? All while taking my granddaughter to her death too?!

Leo

-I didn't want it to come to that, but I am sure we can bargain for the king to spare your life.

Sapere

-We both know that isn't an option anymore.

Leo

-If only she had never been born…

Sapere throws a right punch at Leo.

-Stop blaming a child for our own weakness!

Leo blocks the punch with his arm.

-If she hadn't been born, my brother would still be here!

Sapere lands a left punch on Leo's face.

-That thought goes nowhere!

Sapere lands a streak of punches against Leo.

-If it wasn't for the laws of this empire! If not for the inferiors!

Leo starts to fall backward from the impact of the blows.

Sapere

-If it wasn't for that despicable murderer! If not for those inferiors!

Sapere speaks as he throws one last punch, almost out of breath.

-Thinking "what if" doesn't do any good!

Leo leans back but manages to stay upright despite the impacts.

Sapere tries to step back to catch his breath, but Leo throws his body forward and head-butts Sapere.

Leo grabs Sapere and screams.

-I know! That's why I went ahead and worked to regain the family's honor! The title we lost!

Sapere

-Is that why you sacrifice your family?! For a mere title?!

Leo

-If it wasn't for me, you and that damn child you protect so much would be living in hell right now!

Sapere yells as he hits a strong head-butt, smashing Leo's nose.

-HERE IS THE REAL HELL!

Leo ends up releasing Sapere and takes a few steps back trying not to fall. After balancing himself, he spreads his wings.

Leo speaks with his face dripping with blood.

-Let's settle this at once.

Sapere then also spreads its wings and starts to fly with some difficulty.

Leo

-So they still work.

Sapere

-Heh...

Leo falls silent.

Leo flies through the sky together with his brother by his side. Both were in their younger years, playing through the sky.

Sapere

-Focus! We are in the middle of training here!

Leo's brother responds as he flies his hands behind his head in a very sloppy and laid-back pose.

-Do we really need to train?

Leo

-What are you saying?! Now is our chance to defeat him!

Young Leo advances against Sapere while yelling

-Today I beat you, old man!

Young Leo tries to land a punch at Sapere.

// ~ Adult Leo makes the same movement. ~ //

Younger Sapere easily blocked teen Leo's punch with his arm.

The young Leo recoils with a flutter of wings.

Sapere

-How many times do I need to say it?!

The young Sapere grabs Leo's wingtips.

Sapere

-The wings are the most fragile part of your body, so…

Younger Sapere pulls the teen Leo close by the wings and lands a kick to his jaw.

Sapere

-Then everyone will aim at them, idiot!

Old Sapere dodges Leo's punch while flapping his wings.

Leo then grabs his father's wings and breaks them with his bare hands.

Sapere howls in pain.

Leo then finishes off with a hard punch against Sapere's jaw. He then starts to fall.

Young Leo is thrown back by the hit of Sapere's kick.

He grins through the pain with gritted teeth as he notices a familiar figure right behind his father.

It was Leo's brother.

Sapere is taken by surprise. He quickly turns around, but he could not react in time to block and ends up getting kicked in the chest.

The two brothers start to celebrate the successful hit.

Leo's brother

-We did it!

Leo

-We defeated the old man!

Sapere lies unconscious on the ground, his body beaten down with one of his wings broken.

Leo stares over him with a sad look as he approaches, landing slowly.

Sapere punches both of them in the head.

Sapere

-Don't celebrate for hitting your dad, brats!

Upon landing, Leo kneels on the ground next to Sapere.

Leo

-Sorry, dad...

For a moment he just stays there, a tear forming in his eyes. Until suddenly he is hit by a strong kick to the side of his head.

His body is barely able to process the pain as he falls to the ground.

After hitting him, Caelum stares down, waiting to see if would get up, but Leo remains motionless.

She calms down a little, she doubted that she could take him on at her current state. Her body was very bruised and beaten down, her breathing frenetic.

Her attention then turns to her fallen guardian, she desperately yells trying to awaken him.

-Sapere! Sapere!

Despite the screams, Sapere remains unconscious on the ground.

Caelum then barely manages to lift Sapere's body and attaches it to the other pegasus she had taken for him.

She rides Libertatem while holding a long rope tied to the other pegasus, to guide him and keep him close.

The pegasus spread their wings and both begin to fly off the island

Leo stares at the scene, his vision blurry and his consciousness fading.

Upon seeing their escape, he gathers his last energy and takes a rough primitive version of a gun from his waistband, and takes aim at them.

He directly aims at the back of Caelum's head for a long moment.

As he was about to shoot, his vision gets even more blurred, making him unable to see anything except blurs and shadows. He decides to shoot anyway and then passes out.

The bullet hits Libertatem's wing.

Caelum

-What?!

Libertatem starts to fly with difficulty due to his injured wing.

Caelum holds the rein and with her other hand the rope attached to the other pegasus carrying Sapere.

Caelum

-Hold on, just a little more Sapere!

Libertatem starts to fall, pulling the other pegasus with him.

END OF THE TENTH CHAPTER.