Strike Heroes 2: Roland's Return (Story)

**Status** | Complete

***Strike Heroes 2: Roland's Return*** is the second story in the Strike Heroes series as it continues Roland's story in the Strike Witches universe, tackling the job of liberating Venezia along with the Strike Witches. This story was first published on February 20, 2014 and went for twenty-four chapters before its conclusion on September 12 the same year. It was preceeded by  ***Strike Heroes*** and was later succeeded by ***Strike Heroes: Wings of Freedom***.

**WARNING: This page contains spoilers for the story in question. If you haven't read the story beforehand, then proceed at your own discretion.**

## Story Summary

The story begins about six months after the epilogue of the previous entry, with  Roland Sage wandering around in Fuso on a day off from moral rallies. After hearing Lynette Bishop ask for reinforcements, Roland finds himself entering a chain of events that he has no ideas about, fighting off Neuroi, having new adventures, and meeting new Witches along the way.

## Chapter Summaries

***Chapter 1: Being a Witch Once Again (Part 1)***

Junko Takei, performing Operation Trajanus in order to try contacting the Neuroi, reports that the operation was a failure when a new Neuroi hive consumed the target as well as enveloping Venezia. Meanwhile, Roland is in Fuso on a day off from rallies when he is found by Michiko's grandfather. After accepting the offer of a ride, Roland goes to the back and, after being tackled by Yoshika in a hug, meets Michiko in person. Some time later, Amaki crashes nearby after Yoshika healed a bird using her magic, delivering the mail she had left from her encounter with Roland (leaving him confused on the time difference and ending up in the ending to the first season) sent from Doctor Miyafuji. After showing her mother and grandmother the schematics found in it and looking at the diagnostics Roland received two weeks ago, Yoshika decides to head to Yokosuka to hand the contents of the letter to Mio, Michiko and Roland tagging along. The next day, they learn that Mio was gone but that Sergeant Hijikata would give her the letter upon her return. However, an emergency signal is received from Gallia Command, and once the call is answered, Lynette informs that about the situation before being cut off. Trying to re-establish contact with her, a switch is thrown, and Roland discovers that Mio had returned.

***Chapter 2: Being a Witch Once Again (Part 2)***

After learning that Mio had returned, Yoshika's group is kicked out, leaving the little Fuso Witch saddened as Michiko and Roland walk after her. Mio has Hijikata send the letter to the lab and later tells him about her reasons to leave Yoshika and Roland out of the fight while boarding a sea plane. Yoshika witnesses the sea plane loading a Striker Unit she had seen back on the base and realizes that Mio planned to keep fighting without her shield, running back to the base with Roland and Michiko in pursuit. Reaching the base, Roland watches as Yoshika enters her Striker Unit in an attempt to take off and chooses to join her due to part of Mio's orders (he accepted the violation of her heading home but chose to keep his end of the deal with watching her), activating his own Striker Unit in turn. After some words from Michiko, the two are cleared to take off and manage to reach Mio's sea plane, who, after hearing Yoshika's promise and Roland's explanation of why he can't lead a "normal" life just yet, brings them onboard. A week later, Francesca, Charlotte, and newcomer  Draco L. Dracon learn about supplies coming in from Fuso and go to greet it. Roland, meanwhile, has a nightmare and wakes up in time to experience an attack from a Neuroi occur. Roland and Yoshika engage it a bit before Mio defeats it with a Reppuzan, but the girls, Hijikata, and Roland witness it reform a while later.

***Chapter 3: Being a Witch Once Again (Part 3)***

Roland has an internal struggle for a second about the validity of the Neuroi regenerating after losing its core, and Mio learns that the core is still alive. Yoshika and Roland re-engage the Neuroi and, after hearing a sniper round slam into the enemy, are later joined by Charlotte, Francesca, and Draco to try fighting. After a sniper round rang out once again, the group learn that Lynette and Perrine have joined them in fighting it. Explosions end up marking Sanya's and Eila's entrance into the fray, and a while later the Karlsland girls arrive to help out. Mio then manages to have her Striker Unit ready and joins the group in fighting the Neuroi and, after a few separate moments with some of them causing damage, the Fuso major and Roland destroy the core once again with cutting the core in half with the Reppuzan and slicing in half again with a wrist-blade respectively. Roland then faints after the battle and is awake in the evening as the Fuso Witches and himself arrive at their new base of operation. Catching up a bit with the others, Minna announces the reformation of the Strike Witches as well as Roland's rank being returned to him and giving him the option to rejoin them, which he accepts (being honored to rejoin them instead of the other way around). The chapter and arc concludes with room placement, leaving everyone with a roommate except for Draco and Roland, the former being selected by Charlotte to join her and Francesca and the latter (after a slight repeat of what happened back at the old base) being suggested to room with Minna, which Mio seconds as well as announces.

***Chapter 4: That Which We Can Do (Part 1)***

After picking up supplies from off the base and Yoshika and Roland meeting Junko, Mio reveals the failure of Operation Trajanus to them and, upon their proclamations to help out, sets out to train them upon returning to base. However, after a few exercises, Mio ends up deciding to send them off somewhere to get back into shape along with Lynette and Perrine (who had also not fought since Gallia's liberation), and Minna asks Roland for his vest, which he reluctantly agrees to do. Arriving at Mio's given co-ordinates, the girls and Roland end up meeting Anna Ferrara, who begins their training by learning to ride a broom. This ends up going as well as one would expect; Anna then helps them fix their postures on the broom, and the four soon manage to get control and fly off to get water. Later on, after filling the tub as much as they could, the group eat and take turns having a bath, with Roland going in by himself. Yoshika, Perrine, and Lynette decide to look at the bridge and, after Anna and Roland arrive, ask the elder Witch about it. Learning about why the bridge was made as well as where her daughter's family once were before the Neuroi took over Venezia, Roland tells his teammates that he misses his family once Anna leaves. While sleeping, Roland is woken up by Yoshika wanting to lay down next to him due to not being able to sleep, with him sleepily agreeing to. However, Lynette and Perrine join as well thanks to the BRitannian Witch's suggestion of joining in.

***Chapter 5: That Which We Can Do (Part 2)***

Minna has a dream about her and Roland, with the Neuroi Witch confessing to her, but is woken up by Gertrud before it concludes. Meanwhile, Roland wakes up and, after noticing Yoshika next to him, remembers why she was there as well as the fact that Lynette and Perrine were also there (the latter pounding him in the back of the head for accidental hand-placement on his end). After recovering and breakfast, the four take the tub with them and fill it up but find a Neuroi advancing on the way back. Minna and Mio try figuring out the planned trajectory and, after a while, learn that Anna's home was in the way of the line. Yoshika, Lynette, Perrine, and Roland return and learnt hat they are to evacuate; after seeing the Neuroi coming closer, Roland chooses to fight without all his weapons, taking his guns with him. He tries fighting it by himself but learns that its armor was able to regenerate and, after the girls join him, takes a grazing blow to his left arm. Lynette helps him aim his pistol in the same fashion that he helped her aim her sniper rifle and, with Yoshika and Perrine firing at it and Lynette's magic, the Neuroi Witch hits the core. Later on, Anna's grandchildren arrive and, while the girls played with them, Roland and Anna receive a call from Mio, who congratulated him on the victory. The next day, the four leave but not before Anna gives Roland a gift. Returning to the base, Roland places Anna's gift, a locket, around his neck and receives his vest back from Minna, who had it modified to give him his own personal emblem on the back. Roland thanks her for it and decides to wear it with pride.

***Chapter 6: Hard, Fast, Amazing! (Part 1)***

Roland gets up after having another nightmare and finds Sanya in the dining room. He makes breakfast for them with the Orussian Witch's help and learns that Sanya had been asked not to go on patrol this time by Minna. Sanya thanks him in her native language but learns that Roland has no idea about how to speak it, deciding to teach him. Later in the day, Charlotte is busy testing her Striker Unit when she is found by Gertrud, who points out the dress code violation by her being in only her undergarments. She explains that she wasn't the only one doing it (as Francesca was up above trying to sleep) due to the heat and asks Erica, who had stumbled in under the same conditions, about the idea of Karlslanders following all rules. Gertrud, who was trying to figure out if Draco was enjoying his friends' current dress code, tells them that Roland sees them like this that he would end up fainting, a point later proven when the Neuroi Witch steps in to ask Charlotte a question and realizes how she and Erica were dressed currently before fainting. Meanwhile, Minna and Mio take a look at a Jet Striker that had been delivered to them, with Erica and Gertrud taking a look themselves out of curiosity. They are soon joined by Charlotte when its top speed was mentioned, and Draco and Roland soon after. Charlotte and Gertrud get into an argument about who would use, with Roland trying to disarm it after Minna suggests the Neuroi Witch test it himself. Francesca tries it out instead but is zapped by it. After a while, Charlotte decides to give in and let Gertrud test it. During one test, however, Gertrud faints while coming in, and Roland manages to keep her from getting too hurt but takes the brunt of the damage instead, nearly killing him if Yoshika hadn't healed him but making him fall unconscious. Minna gives the order to not let anyone use the Jet Striker as well as confining Gertrud to her room.

***Chapter 7: Hard, Fast, Amazing! (Part 2)***

Roland wakes up about three hours after the incident to find himself being hugged tightly by Minna. After being cleared by Yoshika and Minna, Roland pays Gertrud a visit, where he eats some dinner with her before she strikes at him due to her feeling that the Neuroi Witch was lying about knowing what was going to happen when he said that he didn't. Roland admits that he felt like he hadn't gotten enough punishment from lying in Britannia, but Gertrud chooses to end her assault to avoid putting him back in the infirmary because of her attacks. Meanwhile, Draco finds Charlotte beating herself up over what had happened to Gertrud and Roland and talks to her a bit, reminding her of how they met. The next day, Roland wakes up sore from Gertrud's attacks and, after a while, is told to keep an eye on her by Minna. After some searching, Roland finds Gertrud but is attacked by her, laying in pain as she takes the Jet Striker out to fight before fainting. In battle, the others are handling the Neuroi they were warned about when Gertrud shoots one that had locked on to Charlotte from behind. However, the Karlsland captain faints afterwards, and the Liberion Witches go to get her out of th eJet Striker, Charlotte using her magic to save Gertrud. Back at the base, the remains of the Jet Striker are seen by the others as Ursula Hartmann comes by to pick it up along with delivering a shipment of potatoes as an apology. Charlotte and Gertrud decide to fight over a fry but are interrupted by Roland, who uses his gyrokinesis to take it from them. This ends up inciting their wrath as they end up fighting for the fry with him in the middle.

***Chapter 8: My Romagna (Part 1)***

Roland, Yoshika, and Lynette learn from Mio and Minna that the food on the base is running low and are asked about going on a shopping trip. Upon telling the others, Charlotte and Francesca are brought aboard, with Lynette dropping out. One crazy drive later, Roland splits away from the girls so that they can work on getting him a birthday present. While shopping, Francesca sees a girl being "harassed" by some men, prompting her to attack them before getting the girl out of the area. Meanwhile, Roland goes into a pet shop and ends up seeing a Rottweiler in there. The shopkeeper, recognizing Roland, decides to give him the dog for free along with a bag of dry dog food. Roland is unable to refuse, and ends up realizing his mistake afterwards. While moving around, Roland ends up seeing Francesca and the girl she rescued rush by; however, the Neuroi Witch is unable to discern who the two were at the time, so he's left baffled.

***Chapter 9: My Romagna (Part 2)***

Francesca and the girl, named Maria, take a breather after running, where Maria tries explaining to the Romagnan Witch about why she was with the men. However, Francesca figures that they were part of th eMafia and, after a while, decided to take Maria sight-seeing with her as the girl said she was out to see the city. Yoshika and Charlotte, after failing to find Francesca, decide to go looking for her and Roland (they forgot that he had no clue about where to go around the place), taking their mode of transportation with them. Roland makes it back to where he last saw the truck after looking around the city only to see it missing. Talking to the men Francesca assaulted, Roland learns that the girls had left and accepts their request to find a red-haired girl that they had been with, Maria. Maria and Francesca reach a building while touring and look out at the roofs around them when the alarm for a Neuroi attack sounds. The four meet around the building and, together, take down the enemy, with Francesca bringing Maria up into the sky to show her the view. Roland finds them and, after being asked about why he fought by Maria, explains that he wanted to keep protecting others. Later in the day, the Witches leave, with the dog being left to Maria. The next day, Francesca is punished for her spending while the others got their gifts, with Roland's being a tie. Listening to their new radio, the others learn that Maria was a duchess and that, thanks to Roland's and Francesca's actions, she had air-dropped supplies. Within the supplies is the dog Roland had gotten, now named Sullivan. With a letter Maria had written tucked under Sullivan's collar, Roland is allowed to keep him on the base but had to allow the others to help care for him.

***Chapter 10: Higher Than the Sky (Part 1)***

While out in combat, the Witches find a Neuroi whose core is located at the very top, way beyond their Striker Units' capabilities. After a while, a plan is made using rocket boosters to get to the height needed. Sanya is chosen to go up there and attack the core and, after Eila tries to get paired up with her, Yoshika is chosen to protect her while up there. Roland is sent along for luck as well as being a back-up, though he is angered by the idea of letting them die up in the air; this leads to him and Gertrud sharing a chat outside before things seem to take a turm towards romantic, ending with Erica spoiling it and Gertrud trying to defend herself as Roland excuses himself. The next day, he is pulled into training alongside Eila so that his shielding could be improved on. However, this degenerates into an apologetic Lynette shooting at Roland and Perrine, the Gallian Witch defending them while Eila dodges the rounds. On the ground, Roland and Perrine snap at each other before Lynette points out that Eila left during their arguing.

***Chapter 11: Higher Than the Sky (Part 2)***

Eila and Sanya run across each other when the Suomos Witch returns to their room. After being asked about her training, Eila talks about giving up on it, which sparks an argument between the two. Roland intervenes while passing by, but he ends up snapping at both of them, Eila making Sanya run out crying, resulting in Roland going after the Orussian Witch to apologize for snapping at her. He is unable to find her until later on at night, where the two make up and Roland decides to let her sleep in his and Minna's room for the night. On the day of the mission, the team gets ready to go out, and Yoshika gives her spot to Eila at the last second, allowing her to assist Sanya and Roland. Eila manages to create a shield to protect the three of them from a beam from the Neuroi, allowing Sanya to finish it off.

***Chapter 12: It's All Creepy Crawly (Part 1)***

Francesca finds a strange-looking bug while searching for some, showing it to Draco in a jar. Meanwhile, Mio and Roland are busy practicing with their sword swings when the Fuso major tells him that it's time after they heard the bugle. Some of the team learn that there is a new bath that had been built thanks to Minna telling them, with Mio having most of the people who attended the meeting run laps. After the laps, the girls attend the opening of the bath and go in while the boys left to go do other things. When the girls get done with their bath, the strange bug Francesca found starts messing with them, prompting Roland to intervene once Lynette screams. Going off to get Mio, the Neuroi Witch leaves Draco with the girls just to keep an ear on them. The Fuso major is crashed into by Roland, and she is led to the others in time to see Yoshika and Francesca checking Perrine for the bug.

***Chapter 13: It's All Creepy Crawly (Part 2)***

After the girls get dressed and explain what happened, the group decide to go after the bug, chasing it around a bit. Gertrud and Erica end up joining in, with Roland asking Draco to keep an eye on the girls while he goes off to find Minna. Upon getting her attention, the Neuroi Witch escorts the commander to the bath area as the others learn about the power outages that had been occurring. Charlotte arrive with a device to find the bug but, after locating it having gotten into Yoshika's swimsuit (which resulted in a chase ending with the little Fuso Witch crashing into her), ends up being sapped as the bug makes its escape. Meanwhile, Roland is dragged into the bath by Minna and thinks about how the other are doing with the situation. With Sanya telling the others about having detected Neuroi presense, the girls and Draco conclude that the bug was a Neuroi presence and search for it more. After some time, including sending Erica and Gertrud to attack the presence above the base, the chase ends with Minna getting her panties pulled down as well as her crushing the bug, which was the core, upon pulling them back up. As that act marked her 200th kill, Minna is later given a medal.

***Chapter 14: Please Grant Us Wings (Part 1)***

Walking around, Roland is struck by a random pain in his chest. Reaching the table for breakfast, he tells the others about it a bit but is unable to figure out the exact reason for it. With Yoshika in a poor mood and not feeling up to eating, Gertrud mentions their situation, which brings Yoshika back for the moment while Roland explains a bit more about the war around their time in his world. He is then taken outside by Perrine and Yoshika to train on his shielding techniques, which he is unable to hold his defenses for longer than around two seconds. Getting into a brief quarrel, the three team up with Lynette and practice some dogfighting, with Yoshika losing all her matches and Perrine and Roland noticing her Striker Unit's issue at the moment. Pointing it out to Mio, the Striker Unit is checked and found to have nothing wrong. Mio then has Yoshika checked on, which Roland is brought into near the end of by Perrine and Lynette out of their concern for her. Being found out, the three voice their concerns before Gertrud tells Yoshika that she is to be grounded for now. Roland, not liking the order, snaps at the Karlsland captain before the pain in his chest comes back along with his body giving off a red glow. He is then rendered unconscious afterward, and the rest of the team ponder on his chances of converting, with Yoshika refusing to believe it. Later, Roland recovers, and he and Lynette find the little Fuso Witch after she had a talk with Eila, Sanya, and Perrine. The next day, The group learn of the *Yamato* coming under attack, and Yoshika, Lynette, and Roland are dispatched to give them support.

***Chapter 15: Please Grant Us Wings (Part 2)***
Reaching the sick bay, Yoshika and Lynette team up to take care of all the injured that had been brought down there, with Roland watching. After doing so, the three relax a bit before the alarm for a Neuroi attack sounds off, prompting the Witches to get to the deck. Roland elects to go topside while Yoshika and Lynette get to their Striker Units, but once he reaches the deck finds himself panicking for some reason before fainting from the memories of the *Ascension*. Inside a dream he has, Roland is confused about whether he was in a reality where he was never on the *Yamato* before Hannah Ellios reminds him of how he grew since last seeing him, with Yoshika's voice snapping him out of his dream. Learning that Yoshika's Striker Unit was still giving her problems, the two reach the deck once more and find Lynette trying to hold the Neuroi off. With the ships retreating and leaving the Britannian Witch to fend off the enemy, Yoshika tries taking off once more before breaking down into tears. Roland manages to calm her down, and the two receive some new equipment in the form of a new Striker Unit made from the plans Yoshika had been given as well as a bracelet that increases Roland's defensive capabilities. Using their newfound equipment, the two fly back to Lynette and manage to get to her in time, with Roland triggering a new stage of Neuroi Mode to fight and ultimately take out the Neuroi's core. Back on the base, Roland learns about the new Striker unit, the J7W1 Shinden, and asks Minna and Mio about the bracelet, with the two women commenting on his unlocked stage. The next day, Roland has Perrine shoot paint rounds at him to see what the bracelet can do and, after some tests, learns that it improves his defensive measures to the point where he can defend like other Witches effectively.

***Chapter 16: The Bridge To Tomorrow (Part 1)***
Roland and Perrine help out with repairs in Gallia when a young girl shows them a broken bridge. Some time later, the team ends up handling a Neuroi that damages a nearby bridge, launching Perrine into a fit. Returning to the base, Roland goes to see her at night and is asked about what he would do in her position in a sense. After some talking, the two learn from Yoshika that they're heading to the beach tomorrow. While waiting for breakfast, most of the girls end up chasing Roland around to try taking his shirt off (as he commented that in the time he came from men didn't wear shirts when they were going for a swim), with him getting away but crashing into Minna. At the beach, the gang perform training, with Roland being with Draco, Perrine, Lynette, and Yoshika. After the events that transpire, the group (sans Roland) are greeted by Francesca in the water, who points out a chest. After getting it out of the water, Perrine (who had stayed under long enough to get it out) faints and later wakes up to find Francesca trying to open the chest. After a few times and a few chests, the gang finds a puzzle chest (once Yoshika recognizes it as such) and solve it, finding a treasure map. The gang soon find an underwater entrance to a cave as Roland and Mio spar off.

***Chapter 17: The Bridge To Tomorrow (Part 2)***
Yoshika, Lynette, Draco, Perrine, and Francesca emerge from the water to find themselves at the beginning of the cave, going left when Perrine starts walking down said path. Meanwhile, the others are finished watching Roland and Mio spar, and they decide to go gather everyone to head back. However, when they learn that the others are missing, they elect to go look for the missing members, leaving Sanya and Eila under a makeshift cover. As Perrine's group avoid traps on their path, Roland's group find the chests and, after some time to find their signatures using Minna's and Roland's magic abilities, they locate the cave and take the right path (a decision Minna decides on when she asks Roland about which hand he writes with). Roland's group soon encounters a pot atop a doorway and, when Erica leans on the doorframe, the pot is triggered, Mio shoving Minna into Roland to push her out of the pot's way before being caught by it. When broken, Mio is found to be drunk, and she soon kisses Minna on the lips before running off cackling. Roland faints after trying to process it, and Gertrud tries performing mouth-to-mouth to try bringing him back before he wakes up. Perrine's group soon hear cackling and hide. After a bit, Perrine runs ahead with determination to get to the treasure and, after a fight with a golem that results in her and Draco using a Dual Tech, finds that the treasure was just a garden full of herbs. Mio, who had crashed there, finds her and convinces her that her feelings for her country matter for the treasure. Returning to base, Perrine receives a letter from the children explaining that the people there managed to repair the bridge, with Yoshika saying that she, Lynette, and Roland should accompany her next time. Roland checks on Eila and Sanya, who were sunburned, and goes off to find Minna, the two sharing some time alone with some teasing from his end before the two decide to sleep outside for the night.

***Chapter 18: 500 Overs (Part 1)***
Minna is brought to the board to hear about the success of the escort mission to get the *Yamato* to its destination. She is then told of a new operation, and she learns about the request the brass wish for the operation. Meanwhile, Roland, Gertrud, and Erica are training in the morning before Roland notices someone jumping out of an incoming plane, soon flying to the location to meet Hanna-Justina Marseille, who has met Yoshika and Lynette, before the plane touches down and, when he goes to try greeting Minna, is instead tackled by Kayley, who had become a captain since they last met. Minna soon reveals the plan for assaulting Malta's nest, with Marseille and Roland being confirmed for membership and Erica being roped in to replace Gertrud, who had previously been assigned for the run before Marseille got vocal about it. Roland soon gets to know Marseille a bit before she leaves, and he and Perrine talk a bit before they go for some breakfast. After lunch, Roland, Erica, and Marseille go into training, but after a particular event during training forces Minna to terminate the training exercises, the three end up inside a lone room together, Erica and Marseille as punishment for their actions during the exercise and Roland to try helping with the team cohesion. Roland defends Erica a bit concerning her refusal to compete with Marseille, and the three play some Mau-Mau, with a bet in place that would see the girls getting along or Roland getting kissed by Marseille, the three soon beginning play.

***Chapter 19: 500 Overs (Part 2)***
Roland ends up losing and having to wait for Marseille to come through with her end of the deal, and the next day the three continue with some cohesion a bit, with Roland and Marseille keeping up with each other in some areas. After a while, Marseille and Erica enter the bath area, with Roland waiting outside and playing Solitaire with some cards to keep busy when Charlotte, Francesca, Yoshika, and Lynette arrive. After trying to ask him about joining them, Roland is left alone as the girls enter but ends up listening to their talk a bit before he ends up asking them to hurry. The next morning, Gertrud finds Erica and Roland and ask them to see if they could get Marseille to sign a photo for Chris, but when they ask Marseille refuses and challenges Erica once more. Roland gets enraged slowly before Marseille tries saying that he let Commander Ellios die in his arms that day, which causes Roland to snap and pin her against the wall, a hand on her neck. Erica tries getting him to let go, followed by Minna before Roland, still blinded by rage, backhands the wing commander with the back of his right fist, which causes him to relent long enough to let go of Marseille before he's pinned against the wall by Gertrud in retaliation as she chastises him about his actions, soon sending him off to get ready for the mission, Erica helping Marseille up before deciding to accept the challenge. Yoshika worries about Roland's mental condition as everyone but Marseille and Erica fly in the sky towards Malta, escorting Roland and getting ready for the Neuroi walls to fall. Roland, after Marseille is injured by a humanoid Neuroi unit and is threatened with being blasted along with Erica, crashes through the wall using Second Stage and helps steady Marseille's gun to shoot down the core before fainting from his power usage. He does, however, wake up in time to simply point his fingers like guns at the two once they ran out of bullets to claim a "win", though he chooses not to accept it as it wasn't his fight to begin with, also choosing to apologize to Marseille about his actions from the morning. The next morning, before Marseille leaves, the two have a friendly few cups of milk as part of an impromptu Brüderschaft, culminating in Marseille kissing Roland on the lips, which causes Roland to notice Minna looking jealous before Marseille leaves the dining hall, taking a few seconds to hand Roland two signed photos of her, one for Chris and one for himself. However, returning to the others and snapping them out of their stunned states, Roland is soon slapped by Minna before the wing commander runs past him crying. Roland soon gives a photo to Gertrud before, with some directions from Yoshika and Lynette, runs after Minna, soon finding her in their room. Roland and Minna discuss what happened, with Roland trying to clarify what happened to lead up to the kiss Marseille gave him before Minna starts getting a bit venomous towards him, Roland deciding to kiss her on the lips to shut her up and show her how much he loves her as he uses his green aura to try calming her down. The two soon confess to each other before, with Minna saying she'll be with Mio to see Marseille off, the two kiss once more.

***Chapter 20: Operation: Reckoning (Part 1)***
Roland and Minna enjoy some time together since they became a couple, with them announcing their status to the others the day after their confessions. A few days later, at which time the Neuroi Witch experiences a nightmare concerning Mio and the unknown-to-him *Yamato*, Roland and Yoshika are tasked by Minna to fetch Mio for a trip to see the brass. However, while there, Yoshika touches the Reppumaru and experiences energy fatigue as Roland experiences pain from a copying process from touching Yoshika and the Reppumaru as well, Mio managing to help the two before chastising Yoshika about touching it. Roland in turn tells her about the concerns he has about it before they return to Minna. As the other girls relax with bath time, Roland, Minna, and Mio receive the plans for the team during Operation mars, which relies on Roland and the girls escorting the *Yamato* to the Venezian Hive before pulling back. However, with news of the usage of the Neuroi Dynamo attached to the *Yamato* as well as the danger of losing Romagna as well if they fail, Roland and Mio get angry about it, with General Weiss being able to calm Roland down concerning losing Romagna as Minna calms Mio. The three relay the news, which ends up, after a bit, with the team and Kayley (who had stayed for the operation) united to ensure the mission's success. At night, however, Minna and Roland find Mio trying to perfect the *Shin Reppuzan*, the major soon breaking down in tears as Minna and Roland witness it. Roland and Minna escort the major back to the cottage and, upon reaching their room and getting dressed for the night, discuss the issue before they're joined by Yoshika, Sanya, and Eila, the first two having wanted to sleep alongside the Neuroi Witch for comfort while Eila didn't want to let Sanya leave her sight. After some discussing, the group soon settles in for the night before Roland has a dream that, upon waking up quickly, is hugged by Sanya and Minna. He reassures the girls that he'll be alright, and the five go back to sleep, with Roland wondering who "Lionelis" was.

***Chapter 21: Operation: Reckoning (Part 2)***
Roland messes with the girls by scaring them accidentally to get out of Minna's grip, which rewards him with a slam in the back of his head courtesy of Eila. The team soon enjoy a special breakfast Roland and Yoshika made consisting of chili beans and Texan omelets. The team soon get the mission underway later in the day, with Roland staying aboard the *Yamato* to escort it in case the Dynamo converted the ship against everyone. At the same time, Yoshika worries about Mio's determination to perfect the *Shin Reppuzan* at the cost of burning her magic too quickly. The team soon manage to escort the *Yamato* in time to let the Dynamo activate, with everyone evacuating as Roland goes to the Dynamo to watch it. However, Roland tries flying inside to keep up with the ship before he's injured from behind and rendered unconscious. Outside, the others watch as the ship collides with the hive, realizing that Roland had failed to get to the *Amagi* and failed to respond to Minna calling for him over the radio. They soon watch in horror as the ship gets pelted with beams from the Neuroi, with Mio deciding to fly towards the Yamato to restore the Dynamo. However, Roland, having woken up and painfully flown to the Dynamo, stops her over the radio and explains his situation and plan. The others try to talk him out of it, but Roland chooses to go through with his decision, even removing his earpiece to avoid being swayed by them before he powers the Dynamo, firing a Neuroi Cannon right into it and seemingly killing himself in the process. As the girls try paying their respects for him, they soon hear static via their radios and, when Sanya finds the source, they're greeted with a mysterious voice with a single line: "You should have never tried to challenge us".

***Chapter 22: Above the Infinite Sky (Part 1)***
The girls learn that the attack Roland had unleashed to try destroying the hive had only destroyed the outer wall, with the *Yamato* still holding its Neuroified look as the hive's core held Roland hostage via fusion. Minna and Mio soon get their mental states brought into a strange plane where Roland was being held, soon being told that Roland would die upon the core finishing siphoning the remaining energy from the Neuroi Witch's core, even showing Roland in pain to try proving its point to the two girls. However, they also learn that destroying the core holding Roland would spell the end of both. Minna listens to the memory of Marseille talking to Roland about his core and reaffirming it to his unconscious form, but she and Mio are soon returned to reality in time to avoid a beam aimed at them. After a bit of an argument with what they should do concerning Roland's fate, Lynette notices Yoshika missing, with the little Fuso Witch having jumped back inside her Striker Unit. Yoshika tells them her plan of saving Roland, which involves the Reppumaru, having been lodged inside the deck of the *Yamato* when Mio lost it earlier. With some encouragement from the others, Yoshika flies off towards the core, the others slowly convincing the others to follow her. Yoshika gets intercepted by the Neuroi to keep her away from the Reppumaru, the main core taunting her a bit before the others arrive to back her up. With help from Roland, who had managed to regain some control and had even managed to convert some Neuroi to fight for him, Yoshika grabs the Reppumaru and, alongside Roland recovering enough in time to unleash a Neuroi Explosion, unleashes a *Shin Reppuzan* on the core, managing to free Roland at the cost of her own magic. The operation is considered a success, though Mio does lose the last of her magic some time after.

***Chapter 23: Above the Infinite Sky (Part 2)***
Roland wakes up a week after Operation Mars and learns that the brass had declared him dead after the operation due to his state, awarding him with the rank of Captain "posthumously". After contacting Adolfine about the matter, Roland decides to go into hiding to lead a normal life, choosing to head to Fuso so he could learn more about Doctor Miyafuji's work. he sees the others, of which some of them smack him around for nearly dying on them. Roland learns that Perrine and Lynette got him some new clothes, and after trying some on, Yoshika and Minna learn that his left eye had become dark red, enough to make it hard to tell the difference without closer inspection. He, Yoshika, and Mio soon head back to Fuso, but not before getting a picture with the others, with Roland even getting saluted by everyone beforehand. Marseille and Raisa discuss the odds of Roland being alive as Junko and the rest of the Five Hundred and Fourth JFW begin their new role of defending Romagna and Venezia.

***Epilogue: End of the Beginning***
Roland looks through one of Doctor Miyafuji's papers when the voice from before contacts him from inside his head once more, being his core. After some talking about the odds of regaining his magic, Roland is told about lunch being ready, but before going to eat, he decides to call the core Lionelis, or Lio for short, after the name he had heard from his vision the night before Operation Mars.