Then Erza stepped forward, her spectral form gliding across the white space. She moved close to Reinhard, her hands reaching out to gently hold both of his hands.

Her smile softened while she gazed at him softly before saying. "We do, but you don't need to feel so sad. Even though we might not be there physically, we will always be with you."

The others laughed, the sound carrying agreement and affection. They patted his back, ruffled his hair, and offered irreverent winks and elbow jabs.

Someone ruffled his collar, another squeezed his shoulder, and he was pulled into the center of the circle.

It was equal parts farewell and victory parade, but Reinhard was at its heart, the recipient of every joke, every compliment, every affirmation.

A bit back, Voyer and Garius began recounting the high points of the final battle, embellishing details and arguing over who had distracted the most roots or who had made the biggest spectacle of their demise.

Mira and Senna offered a running commentary on Reinhard's fighting form with 'all technique, no style, but you made it work, Commander!'

While Thane and Corvin simply grinned and nodded, the latter raising a toast with an imaginary cup.

Even the warriors Reinhard only recognized in passing seemed to know him intimately, their praise and appreciation landing with the gravitas of genuine affection.

For the first time since they were summoned, Reinhard felt the full weight of the Melo warriors' trust. He had always thought of himself as an outsider, an inheritor of someone else's pain, but here, in the white expanse, he was simply one of them.

A fellow Melo Warrior who had fought and bled and finally after so long had won their centuries old conflict.

The circle tightened, and the laughter faded until only the sound of collective breathing remained. Reinhard braced himself, sensing that the farewell was coming for real now.

Bargest's hand landed on Reinhard's shoulder. "You may not be one of our descendants, but you are the inheritor of our legacy. And all of us are proud."

The others agreed immediately, voices overlapping.

"You carried Dune's cape with honor!"

"You led us better than we could have hoped!"

"The Forerunners' spirit lives in you!"

"Eastern Hesod has a bright future thanks to you!"

Reinhard blinked, processing their words before a faint smile appeared. "Inheritor… I see, thank you."

Voyer smiled as he crossed his arms and said softly. "The words you said inside the tree, and your charge with us towards the flower. All of it proved you carried the will and belief of the Forerunners, you are our inheritor… And one we are extremely grateful to have."

Others began commenting, voices mixing.

"I hope you can make sure not to let Vlad work himself to death anymore, that old fossil needs rest!"

"Tell the Luminous Knights we are thankful to their help!"

"Make sure the childrens can play without fear!"

"Rebuild Melo City! Make it even better than before!"

"Um, guys. That isn't his job-"

"Nonsense, he is the Supreme Commander now, all of that falls onto him-"

"Ugh, no wonder Dune hated the job."

"Find yourself someone special! Don't die alone as we did!"

That last comment sparked laughter, the warriors elbowing each other and making jokes about their own romantic failures or successes.

But gradually the golden army's tone shifted, growing more serious. They began saying goodbye, individually at first, then in groups, finally as a unified chorus.

Their words carried finality, acknowledgment that this truly was the end.

"Thank you for fulfilling our dearest wishes, Supreme Commander."

"It was an honor to fight under your cape."

"May the Golden Age shine forever."

Reinhard smiled despite the tightness in his chest. An idea struck him, something to lighten the mood one final time. "Remember to punch Dune in the face for me."

The effect was immediate as the warriors erupted in laughter, which held delight mixed with amusement.

"Of course!" Bargest roared, his grin widening impossibly. "We'll add your punch when we also punch that bastard!"

"He's going to complain so much!" Erza laughed.

"Good! He deserves it for making us do all the work!" Another warrior added.

"I'm going to tell him we succeeded where he failed!" Someone else shouted.

The laughter continued, warriors already planning their reunion with Commander Dune. Reinhard watched, his smile growing as their joy became infectious.

Then, one by one, they began approaching him.

Each warrior tapped his back gently, a final gesture of camaraderie, respect, farewell.

The touches came one after another, spectral hands that felt impossibly warm and solid against his skin. Each palm leaving behind a golden light that was being stored on his back.

"We can only leave you with this and these words. Remember this, Supreme Commander." They whispered. "Your allies extend beyond those you call friends."

"Expand your horizons, seek out more people, whether it be strangers or enemies. Even those who are useless now can be valuable later on."

"Trust isn't necessary when everyone goals align with each other. The unlikeliest individuals may prove invaluable when you really need it."

"Making temporary alliances can help expand the choices you have and possibilities around you. And better yet, it will reduce the personal risk you take, we hope you remember this."

Each one felt warm despite being spectral, solid despite being composed of light. Unbeknownst to Reinhard, it left behind a soft glow that was growing as each of them left a bit of their will behind for him.

All to help take on the burden of his future soul devouring and reduce the pressure of mental attacks towards him. When the last warrior had tapped his back, Reinhard watched as they all turned away.

They began walking forward into the white space, moving toward something he couldn't perceive. They walked side by side, arms around each other's shoulders, laughing and talking with animated gestures.

Their voices carried clearly despite the growing distance.

"I'm going to rub it in Dune's face that we ended the Dark Silence when he failed!"

"Don't forget to mention we had a better Supreme Commander!"

"Should we tell him about the flower? Or let him figure it out?"

"Let's make him guess! It'll be funnier!"

"I can't wait to punch him! Who wants to go first?"

"We should draw straws!"

"Or punch him all at once!"

Their laughter echoed, growing more distant but never fading completely.

Then a light burst ahead of them, a brilliant radiance that consumed their forms. Reinhard watched as they walked into it without hesitation, still laughing, still talking, still together. The light swallowed them one by one until only their voices remained.

Then even those faded, leaving only silence and white space. Reinhard then saw cracks all around the white space before it shattered.

He found himself falling once more before a familiar feeling began to take over as magic rushed through his body.

He felt shackles around his body breaking before Odin's voice rang out.

"Congratulations, you passed. But it seems it won't allow for an easy ascension… I dislike you seeing more of it, but alas, that's how things must be."

Reinhard didn't know what Odin meant, but he had another feeling that he was going to experience Odin's memories again.

"Quickly experience the memory and rise to the next rank, things won't be easy for those other ants if you stay sleeping."

And then Reinhard's surroundings fully changed back to the icy forest he was familiar with, the streams of rivers near. Then he blinked as he realized he was back in Odin's body, after he had devoured Adumala.

The essence flowed through him like rivers of light and shadow, liquid consciousness that rewrote every fiber of his being.

Reinhard felt it through their shared connection, Adumala nature dissolving into Odin, her power, her memories, her very existence becoming part of him in a fusion so complete that the boundary between self and other ceased to exist.

Odin's body trembled.

His back arched as energy erupted from within, not outward destruction but inward transformation. His skin cracked like ice under spring sun, golden light bleeding through the fissures.

The bronze tips of his fingers spread upward, metallic veins climbing his arms, across his chest, threading through his hair until silver and bronze intertwined as precious metals forged together.

The ground beneath him shattered. Not from impact but from the sheer pressure of existence expanding beyond previous limits.

Cracks spider-webbed outward, each one glowing with that same golden light that poured from Odin's transforming form.

Reinhard felt Odin's consciousness ascend.

It was like watching a small plant grow into a towering tree that reached the sky. Everything that the plant had once looked up to now had to look up towards it. His awareness expanded, pushing outward in all directions simultaneously.

The frozen realm around him suddenly felt small, comprehensible, like a room whose walls he could touch from the center.

It felt similar to how it was when he first became an Inquisitor, and the walls themselves were fragile to him.

Beyond it, he sensed chaotic fires, the light realm's serene beauty, and the jungle realm's verdant chaos.

All of them spread before his enhanced perception like pieces on a board.

And above it all, the void itself.

Odin felt it now, truly felt it, not as emptiness but as possibility given infinite form.

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