"No!"
Hermione screamed.
Her voice tore through the clearing.
The Rank 2 Formula Ring above her hands flashed.
Until then, she had held the spell back. She had intended to release it carefully, directing the magic through narrow channels so it would strike only the enemy's openings and avoid the Rubenhart knights.
Grief and rage broke that restraint.
Mana surged through the rings.
The air in front of her compressed.
Hermione thrust both hands forward.
The spell released.
A broad wave of force struck the Valmorian soldier who had killed the Rubenhart knight. It did not break his armor because of the Anti-mana, but it carried far more power than Hermione's earlier support spells. The impact caught him in the chest and drove him backward.
His boots tore through the mud.
He crashed against the side of a supply wagon, splintering wood beneath his armored back.
The wagon shifted.
A crate fell from its edge and broke apart beside him.
The Valmorian knight remained conscious.
