Here is the English translation for Chapter 166, formatted with clean prose, polished grammar, and an engaging narrative style tailored for Western fantasy readers, maintaining proper character consistency (including Barsha as a female squad leader):

166. What Is Your Final Decision?

Jonas continuously amplified his output, pouring ever-increasing volumes of dark magic into his blade. Aji held his stance unyielding, channeling a faint, incandescent light through his wooden staff to absorb the kinetic brunt of Jonas's assault. The resulting shockwave flared outward with such violence that Jonas and Marie's elite honor guards were blown off their feet, tumbling through the marquee canvas as structural supports collapsed around them.

Marie remained the sole observer capable of withstanding the kinetic epicenter without deploying a heavy barrier. Her unique parameters allowed her to absorb and deflect the ambient shockwaves generated by their clashing cores effortlessly.

Sensing that Aji commanded parameters worthy of a serious duel, Jonas decided to break the stalemate. Abruptly neutralizing his forward pressure, he executed a swift backstep, vaulting several meters into the air. Rather than retreating, he channeled dark magic down into his boots; in a split second, he launched forward once more, surging toward Aji in a high-speed vector.

This time, it was no mere test of raw core output. Jonas unleashed a relentless, multi-directional flurry of sword slashes, his blade humming like a swarm of angry hornets. He sought to test whether Aji possessed the speed and agility to keep pace with his rapid-fire swordplay.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Aji maneuvered his wooden staff with fluid grace, effortlessly deflecting every incoming strike. A staff was inherently disadvantaged against a high-speed sword style. A sword wielder could pivot their blade instantly from the hilt, using the weighted pommel to execute lightning-fast directional shifts.

A long staff, by contrast, required balanced, two-handed manipulation; parrying a rapid flurry from one angle and shifting instantly to block another presented a significant physical challenge. A staff excelled in long-range containment, whereas a mid-sized broadsword dominated close-quarters combat.

Jonas pressed his advantage, closing the distance to force Aji into an ultra-close duel, intent on exploiting the structural weaknesses inherent to staff-wielding styles.

Accelerating his tempo, Jonas unleashed a storm of high-frequency slashes, attempting to overwhelm Aji's parrying rhythm. Yet to both Jonas and Marie's sheer disbelief, Aji matched the blistering pace blow for blow, neutralizing every high-yield kinetic stroke with absolute precision.

Aji's staff moved like a natural extension of his own limbs, intercepting Jonas's broadsword from every conceivable vector. A cultivator capable of achieving complete unity with a weapon possessed a level of mastery that no ordinary decade of training could ever impart.

Watching the youth, Jonas felt a long-dormant battle spirit ignite within his chest. For two decades, he had abstained from serious combat, devoting his time entirely to quiet cultivation and peaceful days alongside Marie.

Facing an opponent of Aji's caliber, Jonas grew increasingly eager to unleash his full capabilities—if only to warm up before the global war with Shura erupted.

Marie observed the duel quietly from the sidelines. Recognizing that Jonas was genuinely enjoying the clash, she chose not to intervene, content to watch her lover test his strength.

Seeing his close-quarters flurry fail to break Aji's guard, Jonas leaped back once more to create distance. Gathering dark magic into his steel, he drew upon atmospheric energy from the sky. A dense, dark mist descended from above, swirling into his azure-tinted broadsword.

The atmospheric column ruptured the canvas roof of the marquee, blasting a gaping hole through the structure as if struck by a lightning bolt. Volatile dark magic condensed around Jonas's blade, forming a roaring, vortex-like cyclone that extended toward the heavens—a kinetic tempest threatening to consume everything in its path.

The swirling dark aura atop Jonas's blade grew increasingly dense, accumulating immense power for a single, catastrophic strike. Aji, meanwhile, held his staff loosely. He made no elaborate preparations to construct a high-density barrier to absorb the incoming blow.

The only aura visible around Aji's vessel was a razor-thin layer of light coating his skin and the surface of his staff.

Does he truly intend to block a high-yield strike with such a fragile layer of aura? Jonas wondered. The boy was either utterly insane or held his opponent's strength in complete contempt.

Bracing his stance, Jonas raised the heavy, aura-laden broadsword. The condensed column of dark magic extending into the sky made the weapon feel impossibly heavy, yet Jonas planted his back boot firmly into the soil, preparing to bring the full weight of the technique down upon Aji. Swinging his broadsword downward, he released the towering vortex like an ancient tree crashing to the earth.

The colossal, heavy wave of dark energy surged toward Aji. Remaining perfectly calm, Aji simply rotated his staff, holding it horizontally above his head to meet the descending strike.

The boy is mad! He's completely out of his mind to meet that strike head-on!

BLAAAAAM! BOOOOOOM!

The massive wave of dark magic detonated, carving through space as it slammed into Aji's position. Dense black fog billowed outward, completely obscuring the field. Outside the ruined tent, surrounding dark operatives gasped in horror, scattering in all directions to avoid the catastrophic shockwave that gouged a deep trench into the earth.

The ground shuddered violently beneath the force of the blast. The grand marquee housing Jonas and Marie was completely shredded, its structural frame obliterated in an instant.

He must be dead, Jonas thought. Yet a strange sensation lingered in his core: in the split second before impact, he had failed to register Aji's life signature at the point of collision. He had seen no movement, yet the youth's presence had simply vanished.

As the dense dust and black fog began to clear, the true extent of the damage was revealed.

The trench carved by Jonas's strike stretched for hundreds of meters across the encampment, splitting the terrain in two. Dark operatives who had been gathered outside looked on in awe at the sheer destruction.

Yet as the mist dissipated, a figure holding a wooden staff over his shoulder stood perfectly intact. Jonas's eyes widened in disbelief. Aji was standing tall, completely unscathed—positioned a few paces to the right of the massive crater.

How was that possible?!

"How did you do that?!" Jonas demanded, his voice laced with shock and irritation.

Beside him, Marie shook her head, letting out a soft sigh. Unlike her lover, whose strategic judgment tended to dull when he was enjoying a fight, she had perceived the truth instantly.

"Don't be foolish, my love," Marie said, crossing her arms. "The boy didn't block your attack at all. He simply dodged it. He had no intention of wasting his energy absorbing a high-yield strike. He took the sensible route, stepping out of the impact zone just before the blade landed."

"Cheap trick!" Jonas grumbled bitterly. He had anticipated a thrilling clash of raw parameters, hoping to gauge Aji's absolute output by forcing him to absorb the strike. Instead, the youth had simply evaded the attack—a maneuver anyone with high mobility could pull off without expending an ounce of core energy.

"Did you truly just step aside, as Marie claims?" Jonas asked, glaring at Aji in frustration.

Aji offered a quiet, wry smile. He had not expected a warlord among the 10 Annihilation Demons to be so surprisingly straightforward. Jonas possessed immense parameters, yet he seemed genuinely offended that his opponent refused to indulge him in a mindless contest of brute strength.

"Of course," Aji replied evenly. "Why should I strain my core absorbing a heavy strike when I can simply step out of the way and preserve my energy?"

"Dammit!" Jonas growled, his frustration boiling over. He despised tricksters who refused to engage in a proper duel. He had assumed they were playing by the unwritten rules of martial honor, matching blow for blow.

That was why he had gathered such a massive volume of dark magic, expecting Aji to meet it head-on. To think the boy had simply stepped aside!

"You've thoroughly annoyed me now!" Jonas declared, his dark aura flaring. "Since you prefer cheap evasions over a proper duel, you can deal with ten of my specialized captains first. Once you've survived them, we can resume our fight!"

Feeling thoroughly mocked, Jonas called out, "Ten Captains! Front and center!"

In a split second, ten figures blurred into the clearing, dropping to one knee before Jonas to receive their orders.

"Kill that boy!"

The ten sub-commanders acknowledged the order instantly. Recognizing that Aji commanded non-standard parameters, they drew their respective armaments without hesitation. Each member of the 10 Annihilation Demons commanded ten elite sub-captains who served as the field commanders for their legions.

Unsealing their Demon Transformations, the ten sub-captains mutated into high-tier dark dreadnoughts, surging toward Aji from multiple vectors simultaneously. Aji glided backward, using his staff to parry incoming strikes while evading their coordinated pincer maneuvers.

The ten captains pressed their assault, rotating their attacks to leave no blind spots. Aji retreated continuously, parrying blade strokes and spear thrusts as he moved out of the ruined marquee onto the open camp grounds. The surrounding dark operatives gathered to watch the high-tier skirmish unfold.

Leaping into the air, Aji planted the tip of his staff against an incoming spear shaft, using the momentum to vault over a sweeping broadsword strike. He maneuvered effortlessly, parrying every high-speed attack directed at his flanks. A captain attempted a surprise ambush from his blind spot, yet Aji anticipated the vector instantly, spinning his staff behind his back to deflect the strike with flawless agility.

"Jonas! Marie!" Aji shouted over the clash of steel, parrying another barrage of spears. "I ask you one final time! Will you accept my offer to step away to a peaceful sanctuary where no one will ever disturb you again? Or do you still insist on fighting by Shura's side?!"

Jonas glanced at Marie. Marie offered a firm, unwavering nod—their decision was absolute. They would stand by Shura to the end.

"Our loyalty belongs to Shura!" Jonas bellowed back. "We march to destroy the martial alliance!"

Aji observed the absolute resolve in Jonas's eyes and let out a quiet, tired sigh. "Very well then. I no longer have time to play games."

Aji tightened his grip on his staff. As the ten captains closed in from all directions, a sudden, absolute stillness enveloped Aji's vessel. The ambient noise of the battlefield seemed to fade into complete silence around him.

As the ten dark dreadnoughts reached striking distance, Aji shifted his hands, gripping both ends of his wooden staff.

Enough. Time to clean up.

SCHWING!

The wooden casing of the staff unlocked, revealing twin celestial blades hidden within.