Universal System

The large screen flickered to life in the vast metallic chamber, casting a cold glow across the room. It was mounted above a raised platform that jutted out from the front wall like a judge's bench in a cosmic courtroom.

[ Humanity has been summoned ]

The words blazed across the screen, 

[ The beginning of the First Stage ]

[ Preparing... ][ Loading information... ]

Gasps rippled through the crowd. 

[ Welcome, Humans, to the Battle of Planets ]

The sentence etched itself like a scar on everyone's mind. The room was drenched in dread.

[ Rules will be described shortly ]

Without warning, the structure of the room shifted again—metal plates folding and clanging into new shapes. The ground near the platform trembled as a large metallic door materialized at the front wall.

Then, directly in front of it, the smooth ground split open.