June 15, 2000, 8:00 AM.
Beijing awoke to the normal hustle and bustle.The streets were packed with thousands of vehicles moving slowly in the morning gridlock. Inside a crowded public bus, office workers clung to handrails, their faces reflecting fatigue and routine. The sounds of horns, engine roars, and brief conversations filled the air. No one suspected that within minutes, life as they knew it would end forever.
In the traffic control center, Officer Zhao monitored the screens displaying the city's traffic. "Traffic is heavier than usual today," he murmured, sipping his coffee. Around him, his colleagues were busy with their respective tasks, completely unaware that their monitoring systems had detected an anomaly invisible to the naked eye.
At 8:15 AM, a young astronomer at the Xinglong Mountain Observatory, Dr. Zhang Wei, saw data that made him freeze. "This is impossible..." he said softly, his eyes fixed on the screen showing real-time gravity graphs. "Gravity fluctuations in the upper atmosphere show an unnatural pattern. It seems there's a disturbance in space-time itself."
His computer screen displayed data from a laser interferometer usually used to detect gravitational waves from distant cosmic sources. But this time, the source was very close—specifically, in Earth's atmosphere. The values on the graph spiked drastically, showing gravity fluctuations reaching 500% above normal.
His colleague, Dr. Li, approached skeptically. "Most likely a system error. Our gravitational wave detectors aren't designed to detect local fluctuations on this scale."
"This isn't a system error," Zhang Wei turned his chair, his face pale. "See for yourself—all sensors show the same pattern. LIGO in America is reporting similar anomalies. Something very big is happening to the curvature of space-time above us."
Dr. Li examined the data more carefully. "But gravity fluctuations this large should cause obvious visual effects—light bending, atmospheric distortion. Why hasn't anyone seen anything?"
"That's what worries me," said Zhang Wei. "This anomaly is concentrated at a single point in the atmosphere, as if space-time is being 'pulled' by something invisible."
Exactly 8:30 AM.
The blue sky suddenly showed the effects predicted by Zhang Wei.Patterns of light bending began to appear—buildings in the distance seemed to shimmer and distort as if seen through water. Clouds moved in an unnatural spiral pattern, swirling rapidly towards a central point above Beijing's financial district. A low rumbling sound began to be heard, growing louder every second, originating not from sound but from gravity fluctuations shaking the air molecules.
In an elementary school near the city center, teachers ran around gathering frightened children. "Quick, inside! Stay away from the windows!" Principal Wang shouted as he evacuated his crying students.
On the highway, a truck driver named Lao Chen slammed on the brakes. "Earthquake?" he wondered. But this was different. The vibrations came from above, not below. His truck suddenly felt heavier, then lighter, as if gravity was fluctuating rapidly. His heavily laden truck lifted a few centimeters off the ground before crashing down hard.
At 8:42 AM, space-time truly tore open. A giant gravitational rift stretched across the horizon, emitting a blinding white light that was actually Hawking radiation produced by a mini-singularity. The rift wasn't like ordinary lightning or a storm—it seemed alive, pulsating like an unstable wormhole.
From within the rift, strange creatures began to fall like a rain of black meteors. The first creature to land on Earth was about four meters tall, with black scaly bodies that seemed evolved to withstand extreme gravity fluctuations. They had six legs splaying out like a giant spider's, each with claws that could grip surfaces with tremendous force. Their eyes glowed red, and green fluid that corroded the asphalt where it landed dripped from their mouths.
Chaos peaked within minutes. Skyscrapers began swaying like bamboo in the wind. Overpasses collapsed onto vehicles below. Panicked screams echoed throughout the city as people watched their relatives and friends be swallowed by these terrifying creatures.
A young mother named Mrs. Zhang tried to shield her baby with her own body as a monster approached them. "Help! Someone help us!" she screamed, but help did not come. It was one of thousands of tragedies that morning.
By 9:00 AM, the Chinese military began to mobilize. However, conventional weapons were almost ineffective against these creatures. Ordinary bullets slowed unnaturally as they approached the monsters. Even the latest tanks couldn't penetrate the hide of mid-level monsters.
But amid the despair, something miraculous began to happen. The spiritual energy released by the Spiritual Rupture started affecting certain humans, awakening latent supernatural talents.
Sergeant Chen, a 25-year-old soldier, was severely wounded after trying to save a family from rubble. As a large monster approached to finish him off, his left hand suddenly glowed with golden light. A shield of spiritual energy formed on his arm, saving him from the monster's swooping claws.
"What's happening to me?" he yelled, confused by his new power. He realized he could sense the spiritual energy around him and manipulate it for protection.
Elsewhere, Mrs. Wang, a 40-year-old homemaker, tried to protect her frightened child inside a besieged apartment building. As a monster tried to break down the door, her hands suddenly emitted a burst of flame—fire generated from spiritual energy converted into heat. The monster screeched in pain and retreated.
In a chaotic hospital, Dr. Lin, a 28-year-old young doctor, discovered he could heal wounds with a touch. When a critically wounded child was brought in, his hands glowed green and the wound began to close on its own.
They were the first Spirit Knights—ordinary humans who suddenly awakened supernatural talents due to exposure to spiritual energy from the Spiritual Rupture. In one day, 147 people with similar abilities were recorded in Beijing alone.
Three days after the disaster, a group of surviving scientists and military personnel gathered in a secret underground bunker. Conditions outside were still chaotic, with monsters roaming everywhere.
"We need a system to measure their strength," said General Li, a stern veteran in his 50s. His face looked ten years older after just three days.
Dr. Zhang Wei, who survived from the observatory, proposed a letter-based system. "Based on our observations, their power varies from very weak to extremely strong. We need clear classification."
Thus, a simple ranking system was created: G, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS. But everything changed on the seventh day when something extraordinary happened.
Long Ming, a 19-year-old who worked as a library assistant, was trapped in the city library building with 50 others. When a group of large monsters attacked the building, something within him awakened.
With natural instinct, he raised his hand, and blood from the wounded monsters began to move under his control. The blood formed a giant shield that protected the entire building. Not only that, he could also control blood from monster corpses to attack living monsters.
"His power... exceeds any measurement!" shouted Dr. Zhang Wei, who witnessed it through a reconnaissance drone. "We need a new rank for him!"
Thus, the Phantom Rank was created—the highest tier reserved solely for Long Ming, the first Blood Element Spirit Knight whose power surpassed the SSS rank.
By the second week post-disaster, Long Ming began to realize the immense responsibility he carried. As the only Phantom-rank Spirit Knight, he became the hope of humanity. But his power came at a great cost.
Long Ming's First Battle occurred in an industrial area. At that time, 300 civilians were trapped in a factory surrounded by monsters. Long Ming arrived alone. With his blood element ability, he not only controlled monster blood but could also manipulate their bodily fluids to weaken them.
"Listen to me!" Long Ming shouted at the monsters. "I don't want to kill you, but I will do what I must!"
He used basic-level Blood Manipulation techniques, controlling the blood within the monsters' bodies to slow their movements. But each time he used his power, he felt excruciating pain. The blood element was powerful, but it also corroded its user.
After the battle, 287 civilians survived. But Long Ming was unconscious for two days due to exhaustion. This was his first sacrifice of many to come.
October 2000, four months after the disaster.
The situation worsened.New, stronger monsters continuously emerged from the rift in the sky. Military intelligence detected the largest concentration of monsters ever near the Guang'an Bridge—over 10,000 monsters of various kinds.
General Li knew this would be a decisive battle. "If this bridge falls, the entire North Beijing will be isolated. Hundreds of thousands of civilians will be killed."
Preparations for the battle were made quickly. All remaining Spirit Knights were deployed—a total of 324 people of various ranks. Long Ming was appointed field commander, despite his young age.
"They are gathering forces across the river," a scout reported. "There's a 20-meter tall giant monster among them."
Long Ming observed through binoculars. "I'll handle the big one. The rest, protect the left and right flanks of the bridge."
The night before the battle, Long Ming spoke to the other Spirit Knights. "Tomorrow, many of us may not return. But remember, we fight for those who cannot protect themselves."
The next morning, the battle began. The first wave of monsters crossed the river in terrifying numbers. B and C rank Spirit Knights formed a defensive line but were quickly pushed back.
Long Ming was on the front lines, using his abilities efficiently. He controlled blood from slain monsters to attack others. But there were too many of them.
Casualties began to fall. C-rank Spirit Knight, Xiao Li, died after protecting a group of civilians. With his last breath, he whispered to Long Ming: "Continue the fight..."
Long Ming was enraged. The blood around him began to boil, forming a blood tornado that destroyed dozens of monsters at once. But this technique exhausted him.
The critical moment arrived when the 20-meter tall giant monster appeared. All attacks were ineffective. Even A-rank Spirit Knights couldn't wound it.
"Fall back!" Long Ming shouted. "I'll handle it!"
He used a forbidden technique—the Blood Sacrifice Technique. With this technique, he sacrificed his own blood to drastically increase his power. A giant blood sword formed in his hands, glowing with pure spiritual energy.
A fierce battle ensued for 30 minutes. Long Ming fought tenaciously, each of his attacks chipping away at the giant monster's defenses. But the price he paid was terrible—his face paled, his body trembled, but his resolve didn't waver.
Finally, with a victorious cry, Long Ming plunged his blood sword into the monster's heart. The monster collapsed, but Long Ming also collapsed to the ground.
Long Ming survived, but in a pitiful state. He lost 60% of his abilities and required intensive treatment for months. But his sacrifice was not in vain—the Battle of Guang'an Bridge became a turning point in the war against the monsters.
The casualties were immense: 89 Spirit Knights died, 156 were wounded. But they saved over 350,000 civilians. Long Ming's name became a legend, remembered as the hero who sacrificed himself for others.
During his recovery, Long Ming began training a new generation of Spirit Knights. He taught that true strength was not for arrogance, but for protecting the weak.
"Every drop of blood we sacrifice," he told his students, "must mean something greater than ourselves."