Old Blue 

The Metaverse—the cradle of humanity and an eternal paradise. After the departure of the divine ancestor Eclair, who managed the Metaverse, the fledgling paradise needed a new generation of rulers.

Thus were the twelve programs who stood atop the Mainframe as its pillars chosen. These programs, each with their own abilities, had the authority to rule the world. They made good use of their abilities, expanded and operated the Metaverse via a council system, and came to be known as Origins. The world attained balance and prosperity by the Origins' hands.

However, the rise of one powerful program destroyed that equilibrium. The program at the center of the Origins, Typhon, schemed to take the other programs' abilities for himself. Many of the Origins fell to his sudden act of violence, losing their power and disappearing, but some programs escaped Typhon and seceded from the Mainframe.

Typhon designated these exiled Origins as threats and sent his subordinate programs after them.

Among those who were banished from paradise—exiles with power equal to god—was a man called "Old Blue."

After seceding from the Mainframe, Old Blue rejoiced in his freedom for the first time.

To think I would leave the Mainframe in such a fashion. How fascinating...

As one of the Mainframe's pillars until now, Old Blue had worked to make the Metaverse thrive. He had harbored no particular doubts or dissatisfaction with that duty, but with the constraints of the Mainframe unexpectedly lifted, Old Blue became aware of his own desires for the first time.

What spurs me on...is curiosity. I want to know. Where is this world headed? And what sort of end will it meet?

The Mainframe's desire for the world's expansion and prosperity had always been slightly off from his own desires to begin with. Freed from the Mainframe's responsibility, he chose to live as he wished.

It does not matter what Typhon does. As long as I can satisfy my own curiosity, I'll be happy.

However, such an appeal wouldn't satisfy a man so invidious as Typhon. Moreover, he would surely come to steal his own abilities.

Thinking so, Old Blue decided to hide at the farthest end of the world. The Metaverse's outer edge—a forgotten world where programs' remains drifted.

The outer edge is beyond the Mainframe's notice. There, I'm sure I can devote myself freely to my research.

Just as Old Blue thought, the Metaverse's outer edge was a chaotic whirlpool of countless programs' remains.

Hmm... Far more immense than I anticipated. So the programs interfere with each other and create a space beyond reach of the Mainframe's sensors?

The black sludge of data filling the outer edge caught Old Blue's interest. It had once been speculated that the malicious avatars called "Nemesis" might have been born at the outer edge, but now Old Blue confirmed its truth with his own eyes.

Those bubble-like things rising from the dark sea's surface... Those are new programs! Wonderful! I could not have imagined the existence of programs born in such a manner when I was at the Mainframe!

With great delight, Old Blue decided to make this place his base of operations. Of course, it was also to escape the Mainframe's machinations, but more than anything, this outer edge was a paradise to him. Within the sea of chaos lay the potential he sought that could evolve the world.

World evolution. It is insufficient for merely the environment to evolve. Those who reside in it must evolve as well... Yes, the "ultimate life-form" fitting for the world's conclusion! I wish to create it with my own hands!

From then on, he became a researcher seeking "world evolution" and the "ultimate life-form."

Researching the sea of chaos day in and day out, Old Blue formed a certain hypothesis.

This sea of chaos appears to be influenced by catastrophe-level data created by present-day humanity, which should have been defeated by Typhon in the great battle prior.

Eventually, he encountered someone by chance who could be considered proof of this theory. She was a program who once belonged to the Mainframe (though her rank was much lower than his), who hated the Mainframe, consumed by an angry desire to destroy the world.

When Old Blue first met her, he ended up in combat with her. On this occasion, he was astonished to discover that she was no mere low level program, but a fusion with Nemesis, born from the chaos. Transformed through fusion with a glitch, she had far surpassed her prior specs, bringing her quite close to his ideal of evolution: the ultimate life-form.

"...But it's not enough."

Old Blue expanded the functions of the VOX tool she possessed in order to test how far a mutated program like her could go. As a result, she used her VOX to corrupt the worlds at the outer edge one after another, bringing them under her control.

When he observed how programs and animals self-destructed, unable to withstand the process of fusing with glitches at that level of corruption, he decided to try the experiment himself. Old Blue captured programs and Nemesis monsters, repeating the fusion experiment. However, all of them ended in failure, creating junk data or incomplete monsters.

"Why...? What is my research lacking?"

One day, while conducting his usual observation of the sea of chaos, Old Blue discovered an unfamiliar program traversing the area near the outer edge.

Could that be...an emissary from the Mainframe? She doesn't seem to be a combat program, however.

If Typhon were to send pursuers, they would be programs specialized for combat. Then what was she doing here?

Moreover...I sense a certain something from this girl that I do not in other programs.

After a moment's hesitation, Old Blue decided to put his curiosity first.

"...You there, miss. May I have a moment?"

The girl said her name was Artemis. At first, Old Blue thought her to be a low level exploration program, but when he made a direct link with her, he learned an astounding truth.

This girl!? Unbelievable! It cannot be!

It was cleverly hidden, but at the root of her code were many traces proving that she was human. A being fused with an artificial program... Her existence held the potential to evolve humankind.

Instinctively, Old Blue shouted with joy. "How wonderful! This is the potential of evolution!"

Old Blue grabbed onto Artemis and expressed his enthusiasm.

"Yours is a truly wonderful existence, Artemis. The fusion of human and program...fully realized!"

"Fusion? With a human? What are you talking about?"

"Oh my, were you not aware of it yourself?"

Old Blue explained it patiently to the uninformed girl.

"Yes. I suspect your sisters are, too—as special programs fused using human data as the basis, you are a new form of humanity with new abilities!"

He was truly moved.

Ah, Typhon! To think that like me, you would find a clue from fusing programs to the evolution of humanity...of the Metaverse! How strange, to feel a connection to you in this remote place. I never felt this way within the Mainframe... Perhaps we Origins are like siblings.

Old Blue was delighted at this chance encounter with the girl who embodied the potential of human evolution, but the girl herself seemed shaken for some reason. However, Old Blue said nothing to her and withdrew now that his business was finished.

She has sisters. I would absolutely like to collect their data as well...but it would be unwise for me to come into contact with any more Mainframe emissaries. More importantly, I must commence a new experiment at once!

There was nothing in his mind now but new experiments and the ultimate life-form that would be born from them.

Using the data he obtained from Artemis, Old Blue began a serious effort to create the ultimate life-form that embodied evolution.

With her data as a reference, my theory has developed tremendously. This should do the trick!

Old Blue conducted his Nemesis fusion experiment with a captured program. However, what he created was...

"Oghhhhhh...!"

"Why!? Why are these monsters being born!?"

It was unsightly and half-fused, covered in a dark sludge. It resembled an evil dragon and gave off a sense of immense power. But its hideous form was far from the ultimate life-form he aimed to create.

"M-Main...f-frame...! Des...troy..."

Suddenly, it lunged at Old Blue with open killing intent!

"Hmm. You bite back at your creator? So be it."

Without panic, Old Blue activated his ability, simply called "theft." He could steal others' memories, abilities, even minds if he so desired, then save them to discs and use them as his own. With this ability, he had been able to collect all kinds of samples so far.

"This time... Shall I try this one?"

He used the power of a man who was once famed as a sword god. Sliced cleanly in two, the monster returned to the darkness.

Though he had destroyed the monster with overwhelming power, Old Blue did not delight in the victory. Rather, sadness and frustration welled within his chest.

Something is missing...but just what is it?

From then on, Old Blue spent all his time doing experiments. He conducted experiments with all kinds of models as a basis for fusion: men, women, innocent babies, greedy adults, wise elderly. Even so, all he created were hideous monsters.

Why!? My theory should be correct. Why isn't it working? And yet Typhon succeeded!

Old Blue burned with pride as a fellow Origin. Still, his failures and wasted time went on.

Then, one such day...

"...You are Old Blue?"

A program with the stately figure of a chalk-white castle appeared.

"I am...but who are you?"

"I am Lichtshütze. A program possessing the wings of judgement. I am an executioner of criminals banished from paradise... Exile Old Blue. Allow me to cut you down here and now!"

Lichtshütze's order was very simple. His disc chakrams, which recorded every phoneme and constantly changed their waveforms, were remarkably hard to defend against as they flew about at his will, slicing through space toward Old Blue.

"How naïve! Do not presume you can take my life with such frequency-modulation weapons!"

Old Blue pierced Lichtshütze with a blade in hand to steal his abilities. However, the white castle had been adjusted to counter him, showing a flawless defensive response.

"What!? I can't steal it!?"

"How foolish, ancient blue."

The blade cracked in Lichtshütze's grasp. Old Blue tried to distance himself at once, but the disc chakrams flew in from all angles and cut into him. Lichtshütze simply stared as he collapsed.

Having narrowly avoided a fatal wound, Old Blue calmly analyzed the situation as something red leaked from the corner of his mouth.

"I see... Lichtshütze, you've been installed with defensive programming just for me, have you?"

"Yes. A natural countermeasure to you, hailed as 'Origin' and 'ancient blue.'"

"Certainly. Just as you say... If it were possible, I would have liked to take my time analyzing the Mainframe's latest defense program..."

"I will not allow you such time. CPST Blaster!"

Lichtshütze's body shone, and a ring of light appeared. He generated a powerful debug field that surrounded him. It was a unique area that analyzed and disabled an enemy's functions, allowing for a one-sided onslaught. It would be fitting to call it an execution site.

"Agh...!? It's...sucking me in!?"

"This is your end, ancient blue."

Lichtshütze's power stripped away all of Old Blue's defensive functions. One of the Origins was about to meet his end at the hands of a program designed specifically to kill the ancient blue.

"Sure enough, I'm at a disadvantage... However!"

At Old Blue's cue, small bombs detonated one after another around Lichtshütze. Then, the debug field came undone.

"Damn you! It was a ruse!"

"Maintaining such a powerful debug field requires large amounts of data and concentration, does it not? The operation time of one instance must inevitably be short-lived."

A fearless smile rose to Old Blue's face.

"Adieu, angel of judgement. A shame I cannot take your abilities... Well, then, if you'll excuse me."

Old Blue transported away, managing to escape from Lichtshütze.

Old Blue escaped from Lichtshütze, the terrifying hunter of light...but the data making up his body was heavily damaged, and it would only be a matter of time before he disappeared.

At this rate, I don't have long. If I were to lower my own status, I could possibly live longer, but...

But degrading to a low level program meant he could not maintain his current processing power. That meant it would be impossible to conduct his experiments to promote world evolution.

There is no point to that. My purpose for living is to ensure world evolution and create the ultimate life-form myself. Yes, I've perfected my theory! All that's left is to implement it—I cannot perish here! If I at least had the data to activate recovery functions...

Just then, Old Blue had a revelation.

There is so much data that I've collected. If I incorporate it into myself, could I not evolve myself into the ultimate life-form?

All his prior test subjects lacked the ability to accept the fusion data. To that end, he formerly belonged to the Mainframe, as one of the pillars representing God who possessed the best processing power in the Metaverse. No matter what kind of data he fused, it should be possible to suppress its influence with minimal erosion.

However... That is only when I am in perfect condition. In my damaged state, can I endure a large stream of data?

It was a dangerous gamble. But it was an irresistibly appealing one.

Old Blue had obtained freedom by making himself a servant to his own curiosity. He had no intent to change his mind now.

"I will be my finest test subject."

Old Blue installed all of the data into himself, including that of Artemis and Pandora Nemesis.

After his data was extensively damaged, a torrent rushed through Old Blue's body like the stormy sea.

"Ungh!? Gahhhhhh!"

He desperately held on, digging his nails into his body as he felt like he would explode at any moment. The powerful data tried to burn every part of his body from within. The hateful data of Nemesis was especially dreadful as it tried to corrupt his mind. However...

"...Silence! I am myself! I am a Metaverse Origin and the observer who bears the name of 'ancient blue'! Old Blue!"

Old Blue was on the brink of death, but through his own pride, he successfully controlled all of the data. Then, as the data adapted to his body, his appearance changed.

"Oho... This power! Wonderful! The experiment was a success! I have evolved into a fusion!"

Old Blue's body had mutated into something monstrous. He had succeeded in obtaining greater power than ever before without losing his own consciousness.

"I have arrived at a higher stage than before. Perhaps I'll call it 'Fixate Old Blue.' Heh heh heh...!"

Old Blue reveled in the success of his experiment. However, the greed of a seeker's soul knew no bounds.

"...This body is wonderful. But it isn't complete. I haven't attained the ultimate life-form... A new experiment is needed."

In order to evolve the entire world... Old Blue sought new possibilities, and dove deep into the sea of chaos.

While the name "Old Blue" is in English, he is occasionally referred to with a Japanese translation, 太古の青, translated as "ancient blue" to distinguish it.

You may also recognize Old Blue as his Surface incarnation Blue Stein!