Well, we're still assuming that Pattern unraveling comes from a predetermined set amount of damage done to the Pattern, possibly in one blow. I'm not necessarily ready to accept this.

Here's another possibility I hadn't mentioned previously. Maybe even damage below the irreparable state causes severe trouble, like the time/space chaos we've observed in the later books. Things like rooms changing places or the Village in Shiota or Hinderstap.

Obviously, Rand did not expect this would destroy the world. But we do know that balefire damages the Pattern. We do not know exactly what that entails, but there is no reason to believe that what Rand did in A Force of Light was not horrifying. All our knowledge up to now leads us to this conclusion.



He also used balefire when he was running after him. Tel'aran'rhiod is mostly empty, chances of collateral damage are minimal. Why not widen the balefire stream to increase your chances of hitting Rahvin?



But they are mentioned when he uses them. You are arguing that he used this novel method against Graendal, but there is no indication of it.



Now you're just fabricating entirely implausible and unfounded scenarios out of whole cloth for no other reason than to justify your desired conclusion.



Since I never said we had (actually, that seems more akin to what you are arguing, using width instead of length), I fail to see why you mention this.



Why does anyone use balefire? It seems like it's a less easily blocked weapon, I guess. Robert Jordan says that entire cities were destroyed using balefire, so one must assume they did. Why did Nynaeve use balefire against those Myrddraal in The Dragon Reborn? Why did Rand use balefire against Rahvin and Sammael and so forth? I don't really understand the point of this question. It's a powerful weapon, so they used it.



Why would they have ever used balefire if it was all slow and cumbersome like you suggest, rather than even quicker and deadlier than the huge megaton explosion, which is what I suggest.

Presumably because the defenders would have countered that sort of attack. How else do you explain Lews Therin dueling Forsaken in Paaren Disen if all they ever did was wipe out cities from a distance? Also, I imagine that they wanted to capture the city, rather than destroy it.



Yes, I know that is your argument. My response was that there is no basis to it. We have never even heard that it was possible, Rand in that chapter does not lead us to believe that this would be one of his concerns, and it would run counter to the purpose of the scene in the narrative.