This chapter contains world-building and system explanations.
Recommended reading point:
After Chapter 38.
This guide explains how the Flame Eyes system functions for all "Flame Users" in the series.
A) FLAME LEVEL — The Core Power Multiplier (Flame Shape)
Flame Level = a multiplier applied to a warrior's natural base power.
It is not raw power — it is the tier that amplifies it.
Each Flame Level has a distinct eye shape:
First Flame:
A small ring appears at the center of the iris.
→ Base power × lowest multiplier
Second Flame:
The ring expands outward toward the iris edge.
→ Base power × higher multiplier
Third Flame:
The flame ring fills the entire iris surface.
→ Base power × strong multiplier
Fourth Flame:
The ring fractures, and the pattern spreads into the white of the eye like cracks.
→ Base power × elite multiplier
Fifth Flame:
The flame pattern covers the entire eye.
→ Base power × maximum multiplier
Flame Levels multiply all attributes:
speed, strength, senses, reflexes, endurance.
—A warrior's natural base power never changes — only the multiplier does.
—Flame Level cannot be raised intentionally; increases occur only under certain conditions.
B) STAGE — Active Power Surge (Color Boost)
Stage = the color of the flame when the user actively boosts their power.
Deeper color = stronger surge.
Stage Colors
1 — Pinkish Red (light, safe)
2 — Light Crimson (stable, ideal for most)
3 — Crimson (high power, low control)
4 — Deep Crimson (more power, heavy strain)
5 — Dark Crimson (maximum boost, maximum danger)
— Stage = real-time boost inside the user's current Flame Level.
— Skilled and trained warriors can maintain Stage Five; untrained warriors take damage.
—Stage changes are voluntary.
A warrior may freely increase their Stage inside their current Flame Level, but the higher the Stage, the heavier the side effects on the body and mind.
—Stage never increases Flame Level.
Flame Level vs Stage — Innate vs Controlled Power
A warrior may freely raise or lower their Stage,
but they cannot raise their Flame Level by will.
They can lower their active Flame Level through suppression (→ Pitch Black),
but they can never exceed the Flame Level they possess.
Summary:
Flame Level = ceiling + multiplier
Stage = how far that multiplier is pushed
Raising Stage increases output but also accelerates side effects accumulation for the untrained warriors.
Output Level & Multipliers
A warrior only receives the multiplier of the Flame Level they are outputting,
not necessarily their true Level.
Examples:
If a fighter outputs Fifth Flame →
They receive Fifth Flame multiplier.
If the same fighter suppresses to Third Flame →
They receive Third Flame multiplier.
Stage always works within the output Level.
— Stage Five in Third Flame ≠ Stage Five in Fifth Flame
— A boost can never exceed the output Level's ceiling.
C) SUPPRESSED FLAME LEVEL — Pitch Black Eyes
When a warrior suppresses their Flame output, their eyes turn Pitch Black.
Pitch Black is used for:
• safety
• concealment
• reducing internal pressure
—Shape Behavior in Pitch Black:
Pitch Black does NOT remove the Flame Level's shape.
It keeps the same shape of the level the user drops to — but turns it pure black.
Examples:
Suppress to First Flame →
First Flame's small ring turns black.
Suppress to Second Flame →
Second Flame's expanded ring turns black.
Suppress to Third Flame →
Third Flame's full-iris ring turns black.
Suppress to Fourth Flame →
Fourth Flame's fractured-crack pattern turns black.
—Pitch Black never shows the user's true level—only the suppressed level's shape.
Example:
A Fifth Flame user suppressing to Third Flame displays:
Third Flame shape + pitch black color,
not Fifth Flame shape.
—Why High-Level Users Stay Strong While Suppressed?
Even with a lowered Level, a high-Level warrior keeps:
• higher efficiency
• superior Stage control
• safer Stage Five usage
• greater precision and mastery
Example:
Renji (Fifth Flame) suppresses to Third Flame →
He receives the Third Flame multiplier,
yet is vastly stronger than natural Third Flame users.
—Pitch Black = deliberate output reduction, not loss of ability.
D) HAYATO — The Exception That Breaks the System
Normally:
Pitch Black = suppression + lowered Level.
But for Hayato:
Pitch Black appears even when he outputs Fifth Flame.
Shape = Fifth Flame full-eye pattern
Color = Pitch Black
Output Level = not reduced
This is impossible for any other user.
For Hayato:
Pitch Black does not signify suppression.
—Hayato's Pitch Black is an unclassified state where Fifth Flame and suppression coloration coexist.
—The only phenomenon in the Flame System that breaks all known rules.