[Fynal_Fyre]

Originally Posted by Guido

Chaos2Frozen and Tormenk, you're making a point that I forgot in my recent post.

Level 3 Akuma are just the haxx for Exorcists that haven't reached the critical limiter or 100% synch ration with their Innocence.

Spoiler:

Example: Lenalee near-death fight against Eshi ('title' guy) in volume 7, and Allen's deathmatch against the Thread Akuma in volume 8, which earned him the full resurrection of his Innocence.

We can't be sure for now how much wide the gap in power level from Level 3 to Level 4 has increased, until we see that critter in some butt-kicking action for this week's chapter. But realizing how Level 3's were a hopeless nightmare for non-General Exorcists, then I infer that the Level 4 would be the haxx of despair even for the Generals, in spite that all of them have the critical limiter beyond 100%.

Spoiler:

If this is true, there would be no other choice but to have one or all the Generals to follow Lenalee's near-suicide route she once had with 'title-guy' akuma.

That is forcing their Innocence beyond the limits, then all of them strike Level 4 as one.

But wait there's still more. While I was drafting this post out of the sudden I was struck by a realization.

It's been some time that no mention about the Heart has been made in the current arc.

Spoiler:

My theory is that the holder of the 'Heart' Innocence, depending on how much he or she synchronizes with the heart, would be a perfect match for a Level 4 Akuma.

The Order has acknowledged that the 'Heart' is the mother of all Innocences. If it's taken out, then the rest of the Innocences as well, and then the Earl would have won the war.

I assume that the owner of Heart will eventually become a über-haxx powerhouse once learning how to synchronize with it to reach the 100% critical breaker, if he or she is ever found.

My point is that someone with the 'Heart' Innocence at 100% would be the absolute haxx among Exorcists, meaning that wiping out those so-highly evolved Level 4 Akuma should not become a big deal.

Finally, Chaos2Frozen made me to ponder that the existence of a Level 5 may not be unfathomable but that depends on what Allen observes through his cursed eye whether there's still some soul inside that Level 4 or not.

The Akuma evolution cycle involves the gradual deterioration and dissappearance of the soul inside it, as the akuma further advances into a high evolution level.

The souls in Level One's are skeletal bodies wearing the clothes of their former human selves while they were alive but all have a chain tied around the neck.
What I believe the soul loses in this stage is its former human personality, as the Akuma personality has taken over and is developing by killing humans in order to become self-sentient in the next level.

The souls in Level Two's have rotten to become skeleton ghosts wrapped in what looks like a strait jacket made of bandages and chains, placed in fetal position.
What is interesting to remark is that in level two all the souls look the same regardless how their respective Akuma vessels are different from each other. This addresses that upon reaching the second level the souls lose now their sense of individuality or identity of the humans that once were when living.

For Example, Eliade did never recall any memories of who she was when she was a living human. Instead, she remembered back to the time from she was resurrected as an Akuma feeling infernal pain to the time she met Krory.

Spoiler:

For Level Three's the corroding of the soul is nearing the point of no return. The soul has lost its form and substance, leaving nothing but a giant, black mass with the form of an eye.
What I can assume is that the destruction or the erasing of the soul has reached its climax upon reaching level three due that it's existence has been degraded into a semi-void and monstrous, dark form.

In this level I presume that the next thing the soul loses is the memory, as well as its consciousness starts fading in and out. The soul still has enough sense of self-awareness to be now only conscious that is inside the Akuma body feeling a chaotic pain, thus explains its cries to be loved and to be killed.

The only way I see fit for the existence of a Level 5 to be possible is if there's still a bit or tiny traces of the soul left inside a Level 4.

Spoiler:

My theory is that Level 4 marks the slow and hopeless descent to the dark void for the soul.

I speculate that a Level 4's soul would look like a small torch that is flicking in and out, thus giving the impression that is about to fade out at any moment; struggles by instinct to remain lit.
Like the torches from Shakugan no Shana.

Upon reaching Level 4 the soul will have nothing: personality, identity, memories, and consciousness all gone. The only thing left and last to dissappear would be the core of the soul, that is the very light of its existence.

Once an Akuma reaches Level 5 the soul will completely be erased of existence, and thus it will mark that the fifth level is the end of an akuma's evolution cycle.

Spoiler for MILD Manga RAW synopsis:

The gap in power from a level three to a level 4 seems to be rather large, after all, the level 4 REALLY gave Allen a run for his money, despite the fact that the crown clown can tear apart a level 3 with a single talon.

It did flee from the Generals, indicating that either:

1. It cannot fight all the generals at one go, giving a rough indication of it's power.
2. It has not fully realized its power yet, being 'newly born' and all.

As to the heart, yeah, I share the same sentiment, level 3's seem to be the deciding factor for exorcists to push their innocence over the 100%~ synchro mark.

Plainly, it could be that:

1. Level 4's would require even a general to go all-out, perhaps near-death or even taking the Akuma down with him as he dies.

2. It would require whichever exorcist who possesses the Heart of all innocence, to break the 100%~ synchro limiter, like Guido says, and become the uber-pwnage machine to own even lvl. 4's.

And to address the issue of level 5's, those would be some really freaky scary hax-machines of doom, it would probably take every single general, working together as one, at his/her maximum potential, to pose a threat to it, given that the massive jumps in power from level to level are currently rather gigantic.

Spoiler:

Given that the souls in a level 3 Akuma appear as a black, unrecognizable mess with a single eye, from a level 2's still roughly humanoid form, and that level 3's draw their power from the "dark matter" within their bodies, I would say the degradation of the soul is the indicator to the power level jump from....say, a level 3 to four, and the soul is in fact, this "Dark Matter"

However, I have a alternate theory with regards to the form of a level 4's soul, after descending to the black void that is the soul of a level 3, a level 4's soul would begin to take on a twisted, perverted, completely remade version of the human soul, perhaps a black, faceless, humanoid being (I actually got that off Gurren Lagann XD) WITH a small, white flame burning on it's forehead, signaling all but the most basic traces of humanity are purged from it, memories, emotions, everything, except the very core of the soul.

A level Five then, would be a utterly black, seething, humanoid mass of dark matter, no flame, no nothing, no humanity left, perhaps marked with a glowing purple pentagram on it's forehead, signaling that it is truly the penultimate version of the Akuma, with a soul that is the complete antithesis of everything the pure, human soul is, completely converted to dark matter, with a perverse humanoid shape, all remnants of the soul erased, completely handed over to the will of the Earl of Millenium.

Originally Posted by CitizenGeek

I see you all are talking about the later chapters of D.Gray-man ... but I'm just going to wade in with my opinion of the first two volumes: they were good, hard to follow and I hope it gets better (I've got vols. 3 and 4 waiting on my shelf to be read); so, does it get better as it progresses?

Volumes 3 and 4 were pretty awesome in my opinion, the plot deepens in both volumes as pivotal points in certain characters' lives are introduced, and yeah, essentially, it gets way better.