Chapter Seven: The Red and Blue Conflict

Three days later, the King of Ultra officially announced to all the citizens of the Land of Light that Ken would be granted the honorary title of “Father of Ultra.” He would now serve as the de facto ruler of the Land of Light, moving into the center of power and overseeing all affairs, both great and small. Ken was also officially promoted to actual commissioner of the Land of Light in the Universal Peace Council, while still retaining his position as Captain of the Intergalactic Defense Force. The King of Ultra, meanwhile, would retire into the honorary role of commissioner within the Universal Peace Council.

Ten days later, this news spread to the Seven Great Nebulae: the M25 Nebula, SP5 Nebula, LP372 Nebula, the Andromeda Nebula, the Perseus Nebula, the Magellanic Nebula, and the Galactic Nebula (the Milky Way where Earth is located). Among them, Arus, the Lionheart King of L77 in Leo and ruler of the LP372 Nebula, was first to send his congratulations. Soon after, the actual rulers of the principal star systems—those with established power—also sent their messages of felicitation.

Yet within the Land of Light, turbulent undercurrents were surging.

On the twelfth day, an Ultraman of the Blue Clan named Cupid applied to join the Intergalactic Defense Force. News of this quickly spread throughout the Land of Light, drawing the attention of countless Blue Clan Ultras.

On the thirteenth day, the Father of Ultra personally handled Cupid’s application. Unknown to most, however, his inclination to accept was overruled by the Council of Elders. This council was comprised of the oldest and most experienced Ultras, all hailing from the Red, Silver, and White Clans—there was not a single representative of the Blue Clan. Unlike the King of Ultra, the Father of Ultra did not possess an ageless lifespan, and before these entrenched veterans, he was left without recourse.

On the fourteenth day, bowing to the council’s pressure, the Father of Ultra rejected Cupid’s application on the grounds of insufficient strength. This incited widespread dissatisfaction among Blue Clan Ultras, and the reconstruction of the Land of Light slowed to a crawl as many Blue Clan members engaged in passive resistance. Jack personally visited the center of power to meet with the Father of Ultra—his brother Ken.

On the fifteenth day, rumors swept through the Land of Light that Jack and Ken had a heated argument in the power center, with Jack reportedly demolishing an entire building in his rage.

On the sixteenth day, reconstruction work ground to a complete halt as Blue Clan Ultras launched a full strike.

On the seventeenth day, Cupid publicly declared his intent to prove his strength, boldly challenging the Intergalactic Defense Force member Seven.

On the eighteenth day, Seven accepted Cupid’s challenge, and the Father of Ultra, yielding to mounting pressure, approved the duel, which was set for the following day.

On the nineteenth day, Blue Clan Ultras resumed reconstruction efforts, but their first new structure was an arena for the impending duel.

On the twentieth day, Cupid and Seven fought a fierce battle under the watchful eyes of countless Ultras. Their identical signature technique, the "Ice Axe," proved evenly matched. The battle raged for three days with neither side prevailing.

On the twenty-third day, Seven’s superior endurance finally secured him victory—Cupid was defeated.

On the twenty-fourth day, Cupid exiled himself from the Land of Light, becoming a wandering warrior in the vastness of the cosmos.

On the twenty-fifth day, two rumors circulated among the Blue Clan. The first claimed Seven had fought with special armor capable of storing greater reserves of light energy, enabling him to exhaust Cupid’s strength by the third day and win. The second rumor alleged that Cupid had been persecuted to death by the Red Clan. Many Blue Clan Ultras believed these rumors, especially since the Father of Ultra offered no satisfactory explanation. The rumors gained traction. In response, Seven’s father, Big Seven—head of the Warriors Command beneath the Intergalactic Defense Force—declared that anyone who doubted Seven could settle the matter with him directly. Given that Seven’s clan formed the backbone of the Red Clan, and under pressure from Big Seven, the Blue Clan ultimately chose to return to their posts, perhaps because Cupid had lost, or perhaps out of fear.

On the twenty-seventh day, Seven, weighed down by the rumors and guilt over having used his Ice Axe to sever a comrade’s arm in a previous battle, decided he was unfit for the Intergalactic Defense Force. He resigned and left for Star 340 in the M78 Nebula, becoming its official observer.

On the thirtieth day, Jack Ultraman—the strongest and highest-ranking member of the Blue Clan—formally assumed leadership of his people.

On the thirty-third day, Jack went to the Warriors Command and defeated Big Seven, nearly killing him, until the Father of Ultra intervened. The Blue Clan hailed Jack’s actions, but the incident sharply exacerbated tensions between the Red and Blue Clans. This culminated in an argument between Mary Ultraman and Jack, with Mary injured and hospitalized at Ultra Clinic 78.

On the thirty-fifth day, a confrontation erupted between Red and Blue Clan Ultras. Two Blue Clan members were severely injured by the mightier Red Clan and also hospitalized.

On the thirty-seventh day, the Blue Clan staged a grand parade. At its conclusion, Jack gave a speech condemning the oppression and discrimination his people faced from those in power, highlighting the issue of Blue Clan appointments and the Cupid incident. At the speech’s end, Jack announced the founding of the "New Intergalactic Defense Force," declaring it would admit no Red Clan members, and that the Blue Clan would henceforth prove their own dignity.

To this, Ken, the Father of Ultra, offered no comment, tacitly accepting Jack’s actions—or perhaps simply powerless to prevent them.

In the years that followed, many Blue Clan Ultras joined the New Intergalactic Defense Force, standing equal to their Red Clan counterparts. This era was seen by the Blue Clan as an age of their own rise. Later, Jack found Cupid, still wandering in the cosmos, and persuaded him to join. Cupid became revered as the Blue Clan’s hero, the first to challenge a Red Clan Ultra, while Jack was honored as their sovereign for securing their place. At this great gathering, Jack formally declared his ambition to challenge Ken for supremacy and defined the New Intergalactic Defense Force as the vanguard of the Blue Clan’s rise, aimed at overthrowing the oppression of the Red, White, and Silver Clans.

Thus, the strife within the Land of Light truly began.

For tens of thousands of years thereafter, the Land of Light was embroiled in these conflicts.

During this time, thanks to the completion and deployment of "Gates" research, the Father of Ultra resolved to establish a "Monster Graveyard" somewhere in the universe, in order to imprison the evil monsters’ spirits and prevent their escape. After inspecting the seven great nebulae, he found the indigenous peoples of the M25, SP5, Perseus, and Magellanic Nebulae vehemently opposed the idea, fearing their systems would be the first to suffer if the graveyard were ever breached.

The Lionheart King Arus of the LP372 Nebula, Captain Melos of the Andromeda Nebula’s Intergalactic Defense Force branch, and the superhero representative Zerbii all challenged the Father of Ultra in the Universal Peace Council. Pressed on all sides, the Father of Ultra turned his gaze to the so-called "Abandoned Galaxy," the Galactic Nebula—home to no living creatures, or so it was thought.

Yet during his survey of the Galactic Nebula, the Ultra investigators discovered Earth within its Solar System, a small planet unexpectedly harboring life. In response, the Father of Ultra established an observation post on Mars to monitor Earth. The construction of the Monster Graveyard, however, could not be delayed and was ultimately sited within the Galactic Nebula.

In these same millennia, the original Ultraman and the Red Clan warrior Claude Ultraman were escorting the monster Bemular to the graveyard when a meteor shower enabled Bemular to escape, resulting in Claude’s death. Ultraman pursued Bemular to Earth, where he inadvertently injured the human Hayata. Due to Earth’s unique environment, Ultraman found himself unable to manifest physically and was forced to merge with Hayata to remain on Earth and protect it.

Thus occurred the first contact between Ultraman and humanity. After being defeated by Zetton, Ultraman was rescued by Zoffy and brought back to the M78 Nebula, where he was appointed head of the Galactic Bureau of the Intergalactic Defense Force. During their meeting, the Father of Ultra was astonished to find Ultraman’s light purer and his power greatly enhanced, as though he had undergone a profound transformation.

Ultraman explained that on Earth, he could not fight in his light form, something the Father of Ultra could not comprehend. However, he theorized the change was due to the influence of the "light of hope" in human hearts. Consequently, he designated Earth as a proving ground for elite Ultras and initiated the "Light of the Heart" project, preparing to send more Ultras through the "Gate" to spread peace throughout the universe.

News of this reached Jack as well, who also wished to send Blue Clan members and the New Intergalactic Defense Force to Earth. The Father of Ultra, however, did not approve, since Earth was three million light-years away from the Land of Light. Even with Ultra speed, the journey would take eons, and only by the "Gate" could one enter the Milky Way. Yet the key to the "Gate" was held by the Father of Ultra alone.

Thus, the conflict between Blue and Red Clans erupted, and the civil war in the Land of Light began in earnest.

Shortly after the Monster Graveyard was established, the internal strife in the Land of Light broke out in full.

Explanations for this chapter:
1. Regarding Arus, the Lionheart King of L77 in Leo: I am unsure if he is actually the ruler of the LP372 Nebula, but since there should be a ruler, this is my interpretation.
2. On the seven great nebulae: Before the Gate was invented, these were the farthest regions under Ultra influence—this is my setting.
3. Regarding Cupid and Big Seven, Seven’s father: Both exist in lore, but I found little information on Big Seven, so I have defined his role myself.
4. On the timeline of escalating Blue-Red Clan conflict: The precise chronology is unknown, so the sequence is my conjecture.
5. On Earth: It is curious that Ultras can materialize elsewhere but not on Earth; I suspect there is a reason, hence this foreshadowing—a significant plot point.
6. The unnamed Ultra who died escorting Bemular with the original: I could not find his name; this may be updated if I do.
7. On the Council of Elders: There was one before the founding of the Land of Light, so I believe it continued to exist.
8. Revised on 10/23.