At dusk, as the sun set, the invincible Lord of Drakes fell. Countless gamblers across the Galaxy who had bet on Vulkan's victory fell with him, while the Salamanders Legion won big.
A Primarch's own sons knew how to look after their own. Hogg might have had a poor reputation out in public and been a constant punchline. Though he was the Lord of Blacklight and the true Omnissiah, the Imperial populace still treated him and his Blackwatch as a joke of a Legion.
But in the eyes of the Imperial high command, Hogg was undoubtedly the strongest fighter beneath the Emperor himself, the Imperium's perennial second-place champion. What could the Lord of Drakes do? Holding out this long was already an extraordinary performance.
As soon as their father entered the arena, the Salamanders Legion wagered a huge portion of their savings on Hogg. Whether it was filial piety or not, cold, hard cash was what really mattered.
And to make a killing, Tu Shan, the current Legion Commander of the Salamanders, had even contacted Hogg on the sly between bouts, asking the good uncle to take it easy and drag the fight out a little longer.
As the sun sank below the horizon, the bloodthirsty spectators who had enjoyed the show dispersed. Imperial residents who had watched the fight over the Khala Network contentedly switched off their Terminals and went back to their business. For the next few days, it would be the talk of the town.
The Imperials had enjoyed themselves, the Salamanders had made a fortune, and even the Warp Daemons had gotten to watch the thrilling broadcast. They hadn't rampaged across the Galaxy during that time, so everyone had won. The only loser was the Lord of Drakes, sprawled on the ground as his own sons