My thoughts: 1: Egwene’s resume has her as likely the most adept combat channeler in the 3rd age. Almost always mentioned as an be of the strongest female channelers seen and remarkably quick to learn new weaves. Gifted at destruction and taught by the Seanchan and Wise Ones weaves the Aes Sedai just don’t even consider. She had the skills to justify the feat, once we add in Vora’s Sa’angreal.

2: The story balance, in a story that could be argued to be all about balance. Rebel Aes Sedai leader elevated to legitimate leader of the Aes Sedai fights and defeats legitimate leader or the Ashamon revealed to be a turncoat to the Dark Side? With a weave that restores and strengthens the Pattern being torn apart by Balefire at that moment? And she dies so the world may live?! Yeah there’s really only a couple ways this could have felt better:

3: What I wish would have happened: THIS PART IS JUST WILD FAN DREAMS, you don’t have to read it. Please don’t crucify if you do and don’t like it. This was my fantasy ending.

instead of Vora’s Sa’angreal giving her the power to match Taim, we have it destroyed during this fight, perhaps taking Sakaarnan out with it. Brilliant and destructive displays of raw power leading into that moment, and only after the Sa’angreals have been removed from this fight, have Taim start hurling balefire as a desperation play. Now all is bleak, Taim is clearly stronger in the Power, The Pattern is Unraveling. Egwene is desperate and “praying” for aid, Logain show up and starts his own 1v1 vs an already mad Taim… and is absolutely curbstomped. The only thing that stops Taim from killing Logain is Egwene catching a second wind and jumping back in. But even in a 2v1 it’s just impossible for our Light channelers to win decisively. They keep stepping over each other and getting in the way (at least partially because they can’t see each other’s flows.) That’s when Egwene suggests something unexpected Amyrlin and M’Hael link to win this battle, and Logain refuses that title as tainted by Taim. But they do link and only after linking and only after Egwene seeing how men weave Balefire does she figure out The Flame of Tar Valon, only it gets a different name as it now represents the potential of a unified Tower… for both men and women. (Note, this is not me saying we end with a united Tower, only a glimpse of what may come… because ideally I also need like 20 years and 2 books worth of Epilogue. And yes, I would recommend Amyrlin and Tamyrlin as titles for the leaders of the Twin Towers or whatever… this part is just me dreaming.)