He knew why.
It just wasn't enough.
The punch was the same principle as the dwarven bombardment. Broad impact. Wide surface area. The lattice had dozens of nodes beneath his fist to grab onto, dozens of connection points to redistribute mana through. He'd hit in a smaller area than any bombard, but the barrier responded the same way it responded to artillery. Absorb. Redistribute. Heal.
He needed to compress further. Concentrate the force into a point so small that the lattice couldn't reinforce it before the penetration was completed.
And he needed to accelerate faster.
[Mana: 1,436... 1,803... 2,241... 2,698...]
He waited. The cold didn't bother him. He let his body recover while the numbers climbed.
[Mana: 2,698... 3,102... 3,487... 3,819...]
[Mana: 3,881]
Quinlan's lips split into a grin behind the helmet. His body ached. His arm screamed. His pathways burned.
Let's try it one more time.
He closed his eyes.
