Chapter 27: That Esteemed Lord

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“And this one!” Xie Jing sketched an Ultraman on the paper, its chest adorned with a series of raised bumps stretching all the way to the shoulders.

“This Ultraman is called Zoffy. Actually, his real name is Shafurin. He’s a spy from the forces of darkness who infiltrated the Land of Light, the darkest and most powerful warrior. Because he’s so formidable, no one dares call him by his true name; they usually refer to him as ‘The Master.’”

“Zoffy’s signature move is the ferocious flames that blaze atop his head. Because he’s so deeply embedded in the Land of Light, the other Ultra warriors haven’t noticed anything amiss. Whenever the others are in danger, they summon him for help—but his victories are few, his defeats many. All part of his schemes!” (Note 1)

“There’s a plot like this?” Kinjo Tetsuo frowned, questioning, “Can children even understand it?”

Xie Jing nearly spat out his beer. Anyone else could have asked, but you’re Kinjo Tetsuo! How many kids really understood your Seven? (Note 2)

Unable to retort, Xie Jing set down his glass and said, “Just write it simply. In the end, Zoffy must be redeemed. Say that, moved by the Ultra King, Zoffy abandons his dark identity and fully integrates into the Land of Light, becoming a great Ultra warrior.”

Old Tsuburaya, listening nearby, grew increasingly uneasy. Memories surfaced, and he glanced at the animated Xie Jing, recalling that night.

Unable to sleep, Tsuburaya once took a walk by Lake Ryumori and saw a glowing orb descend from the sky, landing straight into the lake. When he approached, he discovered an Ultraman, human-sized, standing by the water.

The Ultraman told Tsuburaya that he had just sealed a monster in Lake Ryumori and gave him a token of friendship—the Ultra Star.

Old Tsuburaya planned, if Kinjo Tetsuo really couldn’t come up with a good story, to tell him about this event. Yet, unexpectedly, Xie Jing had invented an entire set of Ultraman lore.

This made the old man start to doubt Xie Jing’s identity.

“These Ultraman stories must be visually stunning yet simple. Otherwise, kids won’t understand. Later, you can do Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, Gaia, and Agul. The main thing is—don’t slip in your own agenda or the ratings will drop!” Xie Jing said earnestly to Kinjo Tetsuo, “Just stick to straightforward stories of Ultraman fighting monsters!”

“But…” Kinjo Tetsuo looked troubled. “If a story lacks true soul, what are we teaching the children? Are we really just making simple fairy tales for kids?”

Xie Jing gazed speechlessly at the Father of Ultraman, sighed, and said, “Do as you like. I’m only offering my usual ideas. The specifics are up to you!”

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He knew, when it came to screenwriting, no matter what was said now, Kinjo Tetsuo would eventually infuse his own vision.

“By the way,” Xie Jing suddenly remembered, “Absolutely do not put my name anywhere—in your memoirs or any record, don’t say I gave you this idea!”

He didn’t want to be killed by The Master—even if Zoffy might not be able to defeat him.

“Why?” Old Tsuburaya asked, puzzled. “You don’t want any reward?”

“No, I don’t! I admire you greatly, Mr. Tsuburaya, so I shared this with you!” Xie Jing replied humbly, waving his hands.

“Oh.” Tsuburaya nodded, accepting Xie Jing’s gesture. In his heart, he already equated Xie Jing with an alien.

Would aliens want yen? Obviously not!

Thinking this, Old Tsuburaya turned to Kinjo Tetsuo: “Kinjo, please organize what Mr. Fujii said tonight. The theme of giant heroes saving humanity is excellent!”

“Alright!” Kinjo Tetsuo nodded. He was deeply interested in Xie Jing’s Ultraman and felt a sudden urge to write.

“Director Tsuburaya, I’ll leave now. Mr. Fujii has said so much, I’m afraid I’ll forget it soon!”

“Good!” Old Tsuburaya watched Kinjo Tetsuo leave with a smile, always appreciating the young man’s dedication to storytelling.

Now only Xie Jing and Tsuburaya remained in the tavern, the atmosphere turning silent.

“Who are you, really? An alien?” Old Tsuburaya broke the silence.

Xie Jing shook his head. “I told you from the start—I’m a member of the Victory Team under the TPC Earth Defense Federation. I’m human.”

“But… How do you know about Ultraman?” In this world, there’s no Tiga, and only Old Tsuburaya knows Ultraman exists.

“I told you, I’m not from this time and space. Where I come from, there was an Ultraman named Tiga…” Xie Jing described some of what happened there, leaving Tsuburaya astonished.

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“You mean… Ultramen transform from humans? The Ultramen you mentioned earlier…”

Xie Jing looked out the window at the starry night sky and replied, “Everything I said is true. The original, Seven, Taro—all these Ultramen genuinely live in the M78 Nebula. To come to Earth, they must become human or merge with a human body.”

“But in this timeline, the only person who’s seen an Ultraman…” Xie Jing looked at Old Tsuburaya, “is likely just you, sir.”

Old Tsuburaya nodded and recounted his memory of first seeing Ultraman.

“Ever since I met Ultraman, I’ve always wanted to bring them to the screen. Great giant warriors defeating monsters to save humanity—only that way can I truly express my feelings for that friend.”

“Do you still have the Ultra Star?” Xie Jing probed.

“Do you need it?” Tsuburaya replied, eyeing Xie Jing with suspicion. “You didn’t come to this timeline just for the Ultra Star, did you?”

“Of course not.” Xie Jing laughed. “I just want to contact my kin in the distant M78 Nebula. I have some matters for them.”

“Kin… kin?” Tsuburaya stared at Xie Jing, his voice trembling.

“Yes!” Xie Jing nodded and smiled. “I am also an Ultraman.”

Note 1: The origin of Shafurin is due to a translation error. When Zoffy appeared, his line was translated as “Wake up, Cosmic Superman, I am Shafurin.”

Origin of ‘The Master’: From the final episode of Jack Ultraman. Another translation error—originally, the Battlar alien explained to Sho Hide that his plan was to attack the Ultra Star and eliminate Zoffy as the first step to destroy the Ultra Brothers. But in the Chinese translation, it became that the plan to eliminate the Ultra Brothers was devised by Zoffy.

Note 2: Kinjo Tetsuo’s scripts for Seven were dark and cruel, full of conflict and questioning between humans and aliens. Kids couldn’t understand them, and the ratings were dreadful.