72 Hours Earlier...
The cosmic arena materialized in an instant, a vast crystalline platform suspended in the void between dimensions. Sixty-four warriors from across the multiverse found themselves standing on its translucent surface, each one pulled from their respective worlds without warning.
"Welcome, champions," the mysterious voice echoed through the dimensional space. "You have been selected for the Ultimate Tournament. But first, you must prove your worth."
Naruto Uzumaki looked around in confusion, his orange jumpsuit a stark contrast to the ethereal surroundings. "What the hell is going on here? Where are we?"
"Another dimension," Rimuru Tempest observed calmly, his blue-haired human form analyzing the space with Raphael's assistance. "The energy signatures here are... impossible to measure."
Goku stretched his arms, excitement building in his chest. "Wow! This place feels amazing! So many strong fighters!" His eyes sparkled as he sensed the overwhelming power levels surrounding him.
"Tch. Insects," Vegeta scoffed, though his saiyan pride was already calculating potential opponents. "Most of these weaklings won't last five minutes."
The mysterious organizer continued: "Sixty-four have been chosen. Only twenty shall advance to the true tournament. The rules are simple: survive the Battle Royal. The last twenty standing will earn their place in the Ultimate Tournament."
"A battle royal?" Ichigo Kurosaki gripped Zangetsu's hilt instinctively. "Against all these people at once?"
"Fascinating," Yhwach murmured, his three eyes already analyzing every possible future. "Though I see countless possibilities, the outcome remains... surprisingly unclear."
In the crowd, some warriors appeared completely ordinary - a businessman in a suit, a teenager with glasses, several ninja who seemed unremarkable. Others radiated power that made the very air tremble.
"Everyone looks so strong!" Luffy grinned, his straw hat tilted as he observed the gathering. "This is gonna be fun!"
"Something's not right," Giorno Giovanna whispered to himself, Golden Experience Requiem's power sensing distortions in reality itself. "This isn't just a tournament."
The arena suddenly expanded, growing from a simple platform to a massive battlefield with floating islands, gravity wells, and dimensional tears. The mysterious voice spoke one final time:
"Let the Great Elimination begin. May the strongest survive."
The Chaos Begins
The moment the signal was given, chaos erupted.
Forty-four warriors - the ones who had appeared ordinary, the mid-tier fighters, the overconfident fools - immediately began attacking anything that moved. Energy blasts filled the air, swords clashed, and the sound of battle echoed across the cosmic arena.
"RASENGAN!" Naruto shouted, his attack vaporizing three attackers who had rushed him simultaneously.
"Gum-Gum Rocket!" Luffy's stretched punch sent a group of fighters flying off the platform into the void.
But the truly powerful remained still, watching, analyzing.
Saitama yawned. "This is pretty loud. Should I do something?"
"Wait," Goku advised, though his fighting instincts were screaming at him to join the fray. "Let's see what happens first."
Anos Voldigoad stood motionless as dozens of attacks passed harmlessly through his body. "Amusing. They cannot even perceive my existence properly."
Accelerator didn't even need to move. Every attack that came near him was reflected with triple the force, eliminating attackers instantly. "Pathetic," he muttered.
Madoka Kaname floated serenely above the chaos, her magical girl form radiating a gentle pink light that seemed to calm the area around her. Several fighters who approached her simply... stopped fighting, as if forgetting why they were there.
"The weak eliminate themselves," Rimuru observed, watching as the frenzied battle continued. "Raphael, analyze the remaining power signatures."
"Analysis complete. Twenty entities possess power levels beyond measurement. The remaining forty-four are eliminating each other rapidly."
The Culling
Within minutes, the battlefield had drastically changed. The ordinary-looking businessman had revealed himself as a reality manipulator, erasing six fighters from existence before being countered by a time-traveler, who was then eliminated by a cosmic entity, who was then absorbed by a void creature.
"This is insane," Ichigo muttered, watching the cascade of eliminations. "How are there so many monsters here?"
"Because," Haruhi Suzumiya said cheerfully, appearing beside him in her school uniform, "someone wanted to gather the strongest beings in existence. Though I wonder why they didn't just ask me to arrange it."
A massive explosion rocked the arena as two reality-warpers clashed and annihilated each other. The shockwave reached the observer group, but was casually deflected by Beerus raising a single finger.
"Hmm. Disappointing," the God of Destruction yawned. "I was hoping for better entertainment."
Sung Jin-Woo's shadows had already eliminated a dozen fighters without him moving from his position. "The weak die first. It's the natural order."
"GEAR FIFTH!" Luffy's laugh echoed across the battlefield as he transformed, his rubber body taking on cartoon-like properties. His sheer presence caused several reality-sensitive fighters to glitch out of existence.
"Baryon Mode," Naruto whispered, his form shifting to the golden chakra state that shortened his lifespan but granted ultimate power. The energy output was so intense that nearby fighters were vaporized by proximity alone.
The Final Moments
As the chaos continued, it became clear that twenty fighters had never truly participated in the battle royal. They had simply... existed. Their presence alone had shaped the battlefield, eliminated the weak, and maintained the balance.
Mob stood quietly, his psychic powers unconsciously creating a barrier that prevented any violence near him. "I don't want to fight," he said softly, but his ???% form was already manifesting, reality bending around his emotional state.
"GOLD EXPERIENCE REQUIEM!" Giorno's Stand activated, reverting several elimination attempts to zero. "You will never reach the truth of defeating me."
The Truth from Fullmetal Alchemist appeared as a massive white entity. "All things flow from me and return to me. These eliminations are merely the universe correcting itself."
Featherine Augustus Aurora materialized in her true form, her presence causing the very narrative of the battle to shift. "How tedious. Shall I simply write the conclusion?"
"Wait," Zeno-sama said in his childlike voice, raising a tiny hand. "This is fun! Don't end it yet!"
The Grand Priest bowed respectfully. "As you wish, Zeno-sama."
The Aftermath
When the dust settled, exactly twenty warriors remained standing on the cosmic arena. The other forty-four had been eliminated through various means - some destroyed, some erased, some simply having given up when faced with the overwhelming power gap.
"Incredible," Goku breathed, looking around at his remaining opponents. "Everyone here is incredibly strong!"
"The true tournament begins now," Rimuru said, his analytical mind already calculating the implications. "This was merely a screening process."
Yhwach smiled coldly. "Indeed. The Almighty shows me that the real battles are yet to come."
The mysterious organizer's voice returned: "Congratulations, survivors. You have proven yourselves worthy of the Ultimate Tournament. Rest now, for tomorrow, the true test begins."
As the arena shifted to provide separate preparation areas for each fighter, the twenty survivors realized they had been carefully selected. This had never been a random battle royal - it had been a precise elimination to ensure only the most powerful beings advanced.
"This is just the beginning," Akuto Sai observed, his existence as a being who could create infinite realities making him one of the most dangerous present.
"Indeed," Kami Tenchi agreed, his cosmic consciousness already perceiving the threads of fate that would determine the ultimate winner.
The Great Elimination was complete. The Ultimate Tournament could finally begin.
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**END OF CHAPTER 3**
*Next: Chapter 4 - The First Clash: Naruto vs Luffy*