She approached the protective dome, one hand extending until her fingertips brushed against its surface. Where she touched, the energy rippled and discolored, blue light fading to sickly yellow, then burning crimson before turning black as pitch. The corruption spread with frightening speed, consuming the entire barrier within heartbeats.
Then, with a sound like shattering glass, the protection collapsed completely.
"Witch!" one soldier screamed, abandoning formation to charge directly at the woman, his sword raised for a killing blow.
Her response was minimal, a slight flick of two fingers that sent the man flying backward as if struck by a battering ram. He hit the wall of a nearby cottage with bone-crushing force, his armour buckling inward from the impact before he slid limply to the ground.
