Andie hit the ground, tucked and rolled, and bolted away from the Nightmare. She’d known her opponent would likely regenerate like her shadow, but until now it hadn’t really sunk in how fearsome a regenerating Nightmare could be.

Not that it mattered now. She didn’t have time for second thoughts on the battlefield, and Andie was committed to seeing her plan through to the end.

A swarm of bullets hit the platforms and bunkers near Andie, forming a rain of destruction. “Blaze a path, my Courage!” Andie shot a bolt of energy from her sword, creating a sideways platform above and in front of her. She leapt toward the flaming platform and ricocheted off it with a flip and a spin - launching herself toward the Nightmare. This startled the beast, who had just gotten into the rhythm of being the predator again - knocking it off balance when she kicked its helmet into its face.

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It wasn’t often Nightmare’s left openings like this, and Andie was ready to take advantage of the opportunity.

She vaulted off the monster’s helmet and landed on its back, plunging her sword deep into the back of its neck. Digging her feet into the charred flesh of the Nightmare, Andie took off running down the 5 story behemoth’s back - dragging her sword through the beast as she went.

With a sickening crack, the Nightmare’s front-left hand swung back at an unnatural angle to grab Andie. The attack was sudden and caught Andie off guard, but she managed to keep a tight enough grip on her sword that she could tear it out of the creature’s spine and thrust it deep into the hand that held her.

Undeterred, the monster strengthened its hold on Andie - crushing a few of her ribs and making it difficult to breathe. Then, its jagged teeth twisted into a sick grin, and it hurled Andie through the walls of a nearby bunker.