Plasma

The weapon heats a small volume of gas to over 80 000 K, which it encapsulates in an opaque shield. This transfers the discharge into the highest-energy physical state: plasma. At the extreme excitation level of weapons-grade plasma, the blast doesn't just burn material, it converts it to a gas. The opaque shield surrounding the blast allows it to not lose much energy by radiation, but instead only exposes the plasma to material in its path. Thus, this weapon pokes finger-sized holes through virtually anything - inflicting harm to armour and target alike.