If not for the traces of blood still left on Ailin's Captain's Haori, it would not have been an exaggeration to say that Ailin had not suffered even the slightest injury.
Ailin slowly descended, landing on the opposite side of the ground where Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, stood.
"Archer, you lost this battle."
"Heh, mongrel..."
Though he had sustained considerable injuries, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, remained as proud as ever.
"This time, you were indeed superior."
"But if I had not underestimated you from the start and allowed you to seize my Ea, you would never have had any chance of victory!"
"And furthermore, my defeat this time does not mean that my Heaven's Chain lost to Ea. It means that I, its wielder, fell short of you."
"If that guy had wielded it himself, the one who lost would undoubtedly have been you!"
Compared to the outcome of his battle with Ailin, what surprised Ailin was that Gilgamesh cared more about the contest between Heaven's Chain and Ea.
But after thinking it over, Ailin understood.
In Gilgamesh's heart, Heaven's Chain was still his dearest friend, Enkidu.
Before they had become friends, they had fought one another with all their strength and come to understand each other deeply.
In the end, Enkidu had even defied the will of the gods and chosen to stand at Gilgamesh's side. Even after death, he had continued protecting Gilgamesh with his own body.
"Indeed, my victory over you this time had nothing to do with the Noble Phantasms we used."
Ailin released his grip and tossed Ea away. After spinning several times through the air, it fell before Gilgamesh.
"Then, shall we go again?"
"This time, you use Ea, and I'll use Heaven's Chain."
After witnessing Heaven's Chain's true power, Ailin had