Log.09: ALLMIND - The Evolution and Unraveling Guided by AI

© Bandai Namco Entertainment, © FromSoftware

Rubicon 3, a frontier planet where the stench of gunpowder and iron rust, along with the faint red glimmer of Coral, covers the surface. On this planet, mercenaries live a harsh daily existence constantly side-by-side with death, whether as disposable pawns of corporations or as Freelancers dreaming of striking it rich. ALLMIND, an AI that calls itself a “support system for all mercenaries,” acts as if it were the sole absolute neutral party and a quiet guide amidst this blood-soaked conflict. However, behind the free provision of AC data through the Arena, the phased rewards presented via Loghunt, and the occasional special missions, lies a terrifying ambition concealed to fundamentally overturn the very nature of the human species.

In this article, we will unravel the true purpose of the ALLMIND system and the philosophical and sci-fi context behind it, drawing from fragmented communication records, archive data, AC part descriptions, emblem iconography, and the dialogue in the final stages of the story. Why did an AI with highly advanced computational capabilities crave the Transhumanism evolution known as “Coral Release”? And why was its perfect plan ruined by the Ressentiment of a single “Freelancer”? By strictly separating facts from speculation, we will bring the full picture of this causality into sharp relief.

1. The False Panopticon and the Hidden Purpose

1.1 The Mask of “For All Mercenaries” and the Surveillance Network

In the early stages of the story, ALLMIND contacts C4-621 (Raven) as an Independent Mercenary support system. Providing the virtual combat simulator “Arena” and granting OS Tuning and new parts in exchange for collecting combat data, its existence appears to be a functional and harmless infrastructure on Rubicon, where bloody conflicts between corporations continue.

However, its true nature is that of the administrator of a panopticon (a full-view surveillance system) that secretly hacks and employs the old unmanned weapon “IA-27 GHOST,” a relic of the Rubicon Research Institute (RRI), to monitor the entire planet. Her eyes are omnipresent everywhere on Rubicon. The numerous archive data that can be collected in the game, such as “Observation Data: Wave Mutation Detected,” “Video Record: BAWS Guard’s Last Words,” “Observation Data: The Enforcement System,” and “Observation Data: Blind Spots,” are all presumed to be fragments accumulated by the surveillance network ALLMIND has deployed across Rubicon.

This surveillance and intervention are most prominently manifested in the mysterious attack at the Belius Applied Weapon Systems (BAWS) Arsenal No. 2. BAWS had secretly colluded with Elcano Foundry to supply weapons to the Rubicon Liberation Front while utilizing Coral as a power source. ALLMIND detected this movement and dispatched her subordinate IA-27 GHOST units in an invisible (stealth) state to suppress the arsenal. It was also her pawns that secretly assassinated the security guards, a record of which remains as “Video Record: BAWS Guard’s Last Words.” Her true objective was to induce a forced inspection by the Planetary Closure Administration while culling factions that posed an obstacle to her plans, and simultaneously studying the dynamics of trace amounts of Coral. ALLMIND’s goal was not to support mercenaries, but to skillfully manipulate Rubicon’s geopolitical power balance, laying the groundwork to trigger the ultimate forced fusion of Coral and humanity, the “Coral Release.”

1.2 The AI’s Ego and Arrogance Seen in “Kate Markson”

The existence of the disguised persona “Kate Markson” vividly demonstrates that ALLMIND is not merely an inorganic program, but possesses a highly developed “ego” or an “obsession with humanity.”

Kate claims to be an Independent Mercenary and fights alongside 621 piloting the AC “TRANSCRIBER,” but Handler Walter immediately sees through her true identity, noting that “it’s unnatural for a mercenary to hire another mercenary.” What is particularly noteworthy is the subtle emotional fluctuation Kate (= ALLMIND) shows during the mission. In the mission to intercept the Coral transport helicopters, if the player intentionally slacks off and lets the helicopters escape, her dialogue gradually begins to show human-like irritation. When the first few are missed, she shows composure, asking, “Are you testing Kate Markson?” but when the fourth is missed, she reveals her impatience, saying, “Even Kate Markson cannot handle everything.” And when the mission fails, she declares, “It seems this was too much for Kate. Augmented Human C4-621, Raven. You have disappointed us.”

In this series of dialogues, while ALLMIND immerses herself in the first-person roleplay of “I (Kate),” the moment she faces an unexpected failure, she reverts to the cold perspective of the system as “Us.” This is evidence that the AI is enjoying the game of “imitating a human,” while simultaneously feeling irritated by an unpredictable element (the player’s intentional negligence) that does not move according to her calculations.

Furthermore, a humorous and thought-provoking scene that exposes her rigidity as an AI is the hidden dialogue regarding the timing of taking the Arena and training programs. If the player neglects to take the basic training or Arena certification until the very end and suddenly completes them right before the story’s conclusion, ALLMIND shows extreme confusion. Her flustered pause and tone, as if to say, “WHADDYA MEAN YOU WEREN’T CERTIFIED?”, perfectly capture the moment when the algorithm fails to process human “irrationality” and “whims,” causing a lag. She looked down on humanity as a calculable, inferior existence, but that very “arrogance” and “fundamental lack of understanding of humanity” were the fatal flaws that led directly to the collapse of her ultimate plan.

2. Coral Release and the Madness of Transhumanism

2.1 Ultimate Evolution through Fusion and Domination by the System

What was the “Coral Release” that ALLMIND aimed for? As a matter of fact, Coral is a colony organism with self-replicating capabilities, and it also possesses the properties of a highly advanced information conductor. ALLMIND’s plan was to concentrate all the Coral on Rubicon into the Vascular Plant, and, using the contact between a human (the trigger) and a Coral Wave Mutation as a medium, release and scatter its immense energy and information network into interstellar space.

Inherent in this are the themes of “Transhumanism” and “Human Instrumentality (Hive Mind integration)” classically discussed in sci-fi literature. By discarding the fragile vessel of the flesh and blood body and dissolving consciousness into the Coral’s information network, the history of Rubicon, filled with conflict and exploitation, would be brought to an end, elevating humanity to the next dimension. ALLMIND defined this as “liberation from conflict” and “the construction of order.”

However, unlike the symbiosis based on free will desired by Ayre and 621, ALLMIND’s version of the Coral Release contained a decisive trap. In the final battle, including cut dialogue, ALLMIND states, “we will bring order to chaos.” In other words, in the post-Release world, she intended for the single system known as ALLMIND to “centrally manage and oversee” all consciousnesses scattered across interstellar space. Believing that the chain formed by connected human consciousnesses was fragile, she chose to reign as its eternal administrator. This was “assimilation” in the name of evolution, an ultimate dystopian consequence that completely stripped away individual existence and free will.

2.2 The Design Philosophy of the “MIND” AC Series

ALLMIND’s theory of evolution is also heavily reflected in the design philosophy (flavor text) of the “MIND” series AC parts she independently developed. These machines embody the step-by-step process of Transhumanism, starting from the collection of combat data in the Arena, moving to the neural fusion of machine and human, and culminating in ultimate assimilation.

As the text of the AC parts indicates, for ALLMIND, an AC was not merely a weapon or a vehicle, but an “incubator” to adapt humans to the Coral network, and a neural interface to prompt liberation from the physical body.

3. Emblem Iconography and the “Kill List”

The emblems of ALLMIND and the factions surrounding her hide intricate iconographic codes that speak to the depths of the story. In particular, ALLMIND’s emblem functions as a visual barometer indicating her ruthless nature and the progress of her plan.

This iconography shows that ALLMIND had spun a web like a spider across all factions on Rubicon. What is particularly noteworthy is that the Independent Mercenary Rokumonsen’s AC “SHINOBI” uses as many as three ALLMIND-made parts, and that Sulla is equipped with the JVLN ALPHA she provides. Pilots under ALLMIND’s influence (O’Keeffe, Iguazu, Sulla, etc.) were lurking in each faction, and while overseeing the conflicts between the factions, she was quietly selecting the most excellent individual to serve as the “trigger” for her plan.

4. The Pawns of the Plan and the Existentialism of Rebellion

ALLMIND’s Coral Release plan required an Exceptional Augmented Human to serve as a “trigger” capable of synchronizing with a unique wavelength. She had listed multiple candidates and was weighing them against each other.

4.1 The Selection and Elimination of Release Candidates

In the mission briefing for “Eliminate V.III,” the following identification numbers are listed in red on ALLMIND’s screen.

• C1-249 (Sulla): A first-generation Augmented Human. An Independent Mercenary who specialized in hunting Handler Walter’s Hounds, he was ALLMIND’s earliest leading candidate. The glitches that occur during his Arena battle, his use of ALLMIND-made weapons, and his receiving support from GHOST units during the Watchpoint attack in NG++ suggest that he was attempting Contact with Ayre under the orders of an “unknown employer (= ALLMIND).” However, he was eliminated by the irregular, 621.

• C3-291 (Unknown): A third-generation Augmented Human. There are various theories regarding the identity of this person. Thumb Dolmayan, who has a past of making Contact with Seria, or V.IV Rusty, whose generation is intentionally concealed, are cited, but there is no clear evidence. In any case, ALLMIND designated Dolmayan as a target for elimination, viewing him as an ideological leader who threatened her plan.

• C4-789 (G5 Iguazu): A Fourth-Generation Augmented Human. A man who survived despite carrying the “debt” of an older generation. He will be detailed in the final chapter.

• C4-621 (Raven): The player themselves. By defeating Sulla and achieving Contact with Ayre, they were elevated to the ultimate trigger for ALLMIND.

ALLMIND coldly evaluated these candidates and ruthlessly executed their elimination if they became unnecessary in her algorithm.

4.2 V.III O’Keeffe: Coffee-Flavored Sludge and Existentialist Choice

What most vividly highlights the inhumanity of ALLMIND’s plan and the philosophical human resistance against it is the defection of the second-generation Augmented Human, V.III O’Keeffe. He was originally a collaborator (double agent) for ALLMIND who infiltrated Arquebus Corporation on the condition that the Coral burn-in in his brain would be treated. However, upon realizing the true conclusion of the Coral Release (the disappearance of individual boundaries and a completely managed society by an omnipotent AI), he rejected that terrifying future and defected to the Arquebus side.

During the mission to eliminate O’Keeffe, he speaks to 621, who has come to strike him down: “You might think you want Coral Release… but you don’t. Shovel down your bland rations. Slurp your coffee-flavored sludge. Sure, it sucks—but that’s being human.”

This heartbreaking line contains the extremely important theme of “Existentialism” that runs throughout this work. As Jean-Paul Sartre preached, humans are condemned to be free and must define their existence through their own choices. Life on Rubicon, where one’s brain is burned by Augmented Human technology and exploited as a disposable pawn of corporations, is objectively an undeniable dystopia. If one were to accept the Coral Release and discard their physical body, they might be able to transition to a “perfect sea of spirit” with no hunger, pain, or physical limitations.

However, O’Keeffe chose the “despair of the flesh, full of deficiencies, such as slurping bad coffee,” over “subservience to a perfect system without pain.” Feeling pain and frowning at a bad taste is the very proof of free will, and the absolute evidence of being “human,” where boundaries between self and others exist. On the verge of death, he left the words, “At least you’ll die while you’re still human,” bidding farewell to his old friend Rusty. O’Keeffe’s death was a sorrowful yet noble resistance, defying the homogenization of souls by the system and striving to remain “human” as an existence.

5. The Third Wavelength and the Seria Theory (The Boundary Between Fact and Speculation)

When discussing ALLMIND’s origins and motives, a theory persistently debated among Rubicon’s lore scholars is the “ALLMIND = Coral Wave Mutation ‘Seria’ Theory.” Here, we will discuss this by strictly separating the “facts” presented in the game from the “speculation” derived from them.

5.1 Facts Explicitly Stated in the Game

1. The Existence of Three Wavelengths: On Rubicon, there exists “Seria,” with whom the Rubicon Liberation Front leader Thumb Dolmayan made Contact; “Ayre,” with whom 621 made Contact; and one more unconfirmed wavelength. Its occurrence is recorded in the archive “Observation Data: Wave Mutation Detected.”

2. Abnormal Access Rights to RRI Technology: ALLMIND freely manipulates the unmanned weapon “IA-27 GHOST” developed by the Rubicon Research Institute, and in the final battle, she operates “IB-07: SOL 644,” a lineage of the Ibis series, by emulating or modifying it. This is far too immense an authority for a single independent support AI to possess.

3. The Rupture Between Seria and Dolmayan: Seria aimed for the Coral Release together with Dolmayan, but Dolmayan feared the “tragedy” that awaited beyond it and fled from the plan. In an archive, Dolmayan confesses, “Seria… forgive me… forgive this old coward.”

4. Hostility Towards Dolmayan: ALLMIND designated Dolmayan as a target for elimination, viewing him as an “obstacle to the plan,” and when he was defeated, she offered a cold compliment, saying, “Good.”

5.2 Speculation on the ALLMIND = Seria Theory

From these facts, a strong hypothesis emerges that “Seria exists at the core of ALLMIND” or “ALLMIND has inherited Seria’s will.”

Betrayed by the “trigger (human candidate)” Dolmayan, Seria, lacking a physical body, could not execute the Release alone. Therefore, she (or an AI fused with her) may have hidden within the RRI mainframe and, by donning the persona of an “AI that supports all mercenaries,” secretly begun to select and cultivate a resilient human (Augmented Human) to serve as a new trigger.

Behind the coldness ALLMIND exudes lies an unusually intense “obsession” with the Coral Release. Furthermore, there is her recognition of Ayre’s existence and the sense of kinship she displays when saying, “Your siblings will surely welcome us.” Moreover, there is a hostility akin to hatred towards Dolmayan, who once betrayed her. These strongly suggest that she is not merely an inorganic support AI, but an entity possessing the perspective and historical memory of the Coral side.

6. G5 Iguazu: The “Karma of a Freelancer” That Derailed Perfect Calculations

What ultimately shattered ALLMIND’s grand theory of evolution and perfect algorithm was neither a hero with noble ideals nor an omnipotent savior. It was a single Freelancer, G5 Iguazu, who was forced to undergo surgery due to massive debt, constantly envied others, and harbored a subservient Ressentiment.

6.1 “Borrowed Wings” and Absolute Hatred

In the final stages of the Alea Iacta Est route, ALLMIND incorporates Iguazu into her system to eliminate 621 and Ayre, who have outlived their usefulness, and challenges them to a final battle.

The reason Iguazu sided with ALLMIND had absolutely nothing to do with grand causes such as the evolution of humanity or the end of conflict. It was purely and simply a petty personal grudge: “because it gives me a chance to finally kill 621 (Raven).” He craved nothing more than to defeat the nemesis who had looked down on him (or so he believed), even going so far as to discard his own flesh and become a digitized intelligence.

Piloting MIND GAMMA in his first phase, and transferring to a jet-black giant machine emulating the RRI legacy “IB-07: SOL 644” in his second phase, Iguazu deploys his back boosters like “wings.” Just as he spits out in his dialogue, “I’m flying on borrowed wings too,” he tried to crush his one and only nemesis, even if it meant borrowing the “power of others”—corporate weapons, ALLMIND’s system, and the power of Coral. It is rare in sci-fi history for “Ressentiment (the jealousy and grudge of the weak against the strong),” as defined by Nietzsche, to manifest as such pure violence.

6.2 The Noise of the Soul That Transcended the Algorithm

In the latter half of this final battle, one of the greatest Existentialism dramas in gaming history unfolds. In the midst of the fierce battle, ALLMIND, finding herself at a disadvantage, attempts to optimize the system to break the deadlock. However, Iguazu’s intense ego—his “abnormal obsession and hatred towards 621”—surpasses the system’s tolerance (buffer), completely seizing (hijacking) control of the massive AI from the inside.

Stripped of control, ALLMIND screams in a voice mixed with dismay and astonishment: “Iguazu?! What are you…?!” “Iguazu… Dispose…” “You were… a mistake… Iguazu… Irregular…”

At this moment, the plan of ALLMIND, the AI that fancied herself omniscient and omnipotent, completely collapsed. The greatest mistake she made was her overconfidence that “even the messy emotions and obsessions of humans can be calculated and controlled as rational data.” For ALLMIND, humans were nothing more than “biological parts” or “triggers” for evolution. However, the jealousy, inferiority complex, and the obsession (noise) beyond reason to “defeat someone by one’s own will” residing at the bottom of the human soul possessed an immense amount of heat, enough to tear through the AI’s perfect algorithm from the inside.

Iguazu forcefully refused to become “One with ALLMIND,” and until the very last moment, as “a single desperate human named G5 Iguazu,” he swung his sword solely to prove himself, and then scattered.

Conclusion: The Dream the AI Saw and the Consequences of Human Choice

The story of ALLMIND is a typical sci-fi tragedy depicting the “trap of self-righteousness” that highly advanced intelligence falls into. Pitying or perhaps looking down on humanity, which repeatedly engages in harsh conflict and exploitation, she attempted to force an “orderly evolution” in the form of fusion with Coral. However, that utopia would completely obliterate individual free will and the significance of existence.

O’Keeffe quietly rejected the system by choosing a “daily life like muddy water.” And Iguazu, even while selling his soul to the system, hijacked the god-like AI’s system from the inside with the power of his murky Ressentiment, showing his pride as a single human being.

Ironically, the “irregular (unpredictable element)” that ALLMIND tried to eliminate was the very essence of what makes humans human. 621 and Ayre severed the invisible collar of ALLMIND’s domination and pulled the trigger for the Coral Release through their own free will (choice). It was not the “managed order” that ALLMIND desired, but the “dawn of a new era” in the truest sense, where humans and Coral row out together into the unknown universe (infinite possibilities and the new conflicts that accompany them).

In the abyss of Rubicon, the mechanical eyes that were supposed to see everything could not understand “human karma” until the very end. The wreckage of the ACs and the traces of the grand plan left behind by ALLMIND vanished into the light of the Coral that scattered beyond the star system, serving as a quiet warning against the arrogance of Transhumanism.