Ascension Of The Failed Mage

"You're all weak... so why are you so pleased with yourself for ganging up on me?" Ciara whispered silently.

Was she going to stand for this? Allow herself to be humiliated all for the sake of protecting the school life she had worked so hard to build?

'No... this isn't right...'

Why did she have to be the one to suffer such indignation when she wasn't the one to be blamed?

Why did she have to worry about the consequences of her actions when she wasn't the cause of it?

"That's it... I've had enough!" Ciara mumbled.

As the glows increased to their maximum, the attacks were ready. About ten of the students shrouded themselves in enhancements and charged toward Ciara, while the rest started to launch magic spells at her.

[Elemental Armament]

[Magic Missile]

They respectively chanted as their poured their mana into their assaults, intent on entirely defeating their foe.

Ciara watched them approach, and a grin slowly formed on her face.

Serah and Sam never ceased their worried looks, and would have run to her aid if not for the fact that they knew it would only hurt Ciara more. She was enduring this from them, so if they rushed in thoughtlessly and put themselves in harm's way, they would only compound her loss.

"CIARAAAAA!!!" They yelled, both powerlessly and desperately, scared for the harm that was to be wrought on their friends.

However, both of them would soon realize that their worries were misplaced.

"Render all that comes before me distorted, and allow me affect they that seek harm unto my person. Revealing the nature of things and enabling the effect of imbalance..." Ciara chanted, her eyes closed.

Suddenly, to the surprise of everyone present, a blue light appeared around Ciara. She opened her eyes, and a confident, determined grin was now on her face.

Before the students could halt, her spell was completed.

"[Interference]"

The blue light around her suddenly spread everywhere, like a pulse. The wave of energy swept through the students, who braced themselves for the bombardment of whatever high-class magic Ciara cast.

However, to their surprise, the spell didn't hurt a single bit.

"E-eh...?" They let out in surprise, looking at each other and discovering they were fine.

"It must be a trick, a light show! We have nothing to be worried about!" The same annoying boy yelled, encouraging the already flustered students.

Taking heed to his words, and seeing that whatever Ciara did was ineffective, the group continued charging toward her, unwilling to stop.

The grin on Ciara's face grew wider, and she slowly counted.

"Three. Two. One..."

Suddenly, all the spells and enchantments the students had made that neared Ciara disappeared. Their white and yellow lights ceased, and the magic armors those advanced near her wore were entirely destroyed.

"W-wha-?!" Everyone muttered, most especially the annoying boy who riled them all up.

His face was contorted in shock, and as one who was among the students on the front lines, previously shrouded in enhancement, he began to feel a chill.

With his protection and buff now lifted for unknown reasons, he was now bare.

"You... you're first!" He suddenly heard a voice, and upon looking forward, in its direction, he saw Ciara's dark smile.

Instinctively he reacted by trying to use his most powerful weapon to escape from the danger that was looming in on him.

"W-wait a mome—!"

Ciara instantly lunged toward him, shrouded in blue light, which meant a Tier 3 enhancement.

>BOOM<

She swiftly gave him an elbow jab in a flash, causing blood to instantly spurt out of his mouth.

"Guarkkkk!!!" Screams leaked out of his lips as Ciara's arm drilled into his skin, sending shockwaves of impact flying around.

Upon seeing this, everyone watching realized that things had just taken an awry turn!

>BOOOOOOMMM<

The boy's body was sent flying away, crashing a couple of meters away from Ciara while breaking apart the ground he landed on.

With that single strike, he lost consciousness, leaving behind him the remaining students who were confused as to the disappearance of their magic, as well as scared concerning the sudden change in Ciara's demeanor.

"One down... 29 to go!" She grinned.

"P-please wait-" One tried pleading after seeing how swiftly Ciara dealt with her friend.

She certainly didn't want to end up with a dent in her guts just like him.

However, just like the already unconscious boy, she was shown no mercy.

>FWOOOOSHH<

Ciara dashed toward her in a flash, covered by a blue aura, with flashes of white and blue lightning shrouding her.

"N-no wai-!"

The girl's face was smashed in by Ciara's fists instantly, crushing her teeth and her facial muscles in an instant.

>BAM!<

The impact echoed through the ears of the surrounding student, and the poor girl's helpless body flailed away, launching far away and crashing into the ground as well.

>BOOOOOMMMMM<

Disposing of two Tier 2s in an instant, Ciara didn't appear to be fazed in the slightest, a sight that scared everyone present. Her excited grin and the obsessive gleam in her eyes made even Sam and Serah wonder if the girl standing a couple of meters from them was the same friend they had.

If they didn't know any better... they could mistake her for Mia!

"W-what in the world!"

"So it was true! She's a Tier 3!"

"I-impossible... how did she stop our magic?"

The students all murmured in fear and shock, all glaring at Ciara and hoping she wouldn't set her sights on them.

Even the surrounding students were already murmuring amongst themselves, all surprised, but at the same time frightened by Ciara's freakish display of power.

"Annoying... you're all annoying!" Ciara mumbled, sick of the hypocrisy displayed around her.

When it was her turn to face such an overwhelming number of students, there were no such reactions. In fact, the people around found the sight amusing. They took pleasure in the fact that she was outmatched by her adversaries.

However, now that the tables were turned, and she had unexpectedly gotten the upper hand, no one found it exciting anymore.