Michael Seebach, later known by the alias Schwarzwald, was originally a reporter for Paradigm Press in the domed city of Paradigm. He became consumed by the need to uncover the truth behind the mysterious event of forty years earlier that erased the collective memory of the city's inhabitants. His investigations repeatedly ran up against censorship from the Paradigm Corporation, the dominant power in the city, and his relentless pursuit eventually led to an attempt on his life. The attack left him with severe burns, forcing him to wrap his head and hands in bandages, and he adopted the name Schwarzwald, German for Black Forest.

Schwarzwald's personality is defined by an obsessive, unshakable drive to expose what he believes is a vast conspiracy. He views Paradigm Corporation as a corrupt force that keeps the citizens in a state of willful ignorance, and he refers to the people as puppets who need to be awakened. He holds particular contempt for Roger Smith, the city's negotiator, whom he dismissively calls Paradigm's Dog, seeing Roger as a tool of the corporation despite Roger's own search for truth. Schwarzwald is intelligent, articulate, and well-versed in the city's hidden history, but his fixation has made him unstable and willing to use extreme methods. He cut off contact with his wife and children, sacrificing his personal life entirely for his mission.

His role in the story is that of a recurring antagonist and a dark mirror to Roger Smith. Both men seek the hidden truth of Paradigm, but where Roger proceeds cautiously and with a sense of restraint, Schwarzwald is uncompromising and willing to force revelation through destruction. He pilots his own megadeus, Big Duo, a flying giant that he uses to challenge Roger and the Big O. After a battle in the desert, Schwarzwald is killed by the massive Leviathan megadeus, but his spirit persists. He appears later to the unworthy pilot Alan Gabriel, declaring him unfit to control Big Duo, and his consciousness continues to manifest even after death, suggesting that his obsession with the truth transcends mortality. His abilities are tied to his piloting skill with Big Duo and his deep knowledge of Paradigm City's secrets, including the location of hidden megadei and the nature of the lost memories. He is also capable of intimidating rhetoric and psychological manipulation, using his revelations to destabilize those in power.