"What are you doing?" Enyo caught Ares red-handed, right in the middle of the act.
"... Uh, planting seeds?" was the best response he could muster.
"Those are some very explosive looking seeds though?" Enyo's tone was gentle but her sharp look indicated she wasn't about to tolerate Ares' nonsense. It was time to dig up the moat and his method was looking less than palatable when it came to health and safety. He was sprinkling Shock Beads under the earth like he was scattering flower petals everywhere. This was precisely what Yulo meant when he said he expected Ares to 'do more than he needed to' and go overboard with explosives! Enyo had the same gut feeling and trailed Ares over to the worksite after lunch only to have her hunch proven correct.
"I have measures in place to control the blast! If I'm not a demolitions expert, nobody is!" Though arguably a different skillset to simply being the God of destruction, Ares did technically have suitable knowledge on explosives to be able to earn himself a certificate proving his expertise in the field. Thanks to his newfound knowledge on controlling annihilation magic he could divert their blast radiuses as he saw fit. Either direct manipulation with the Backfire Bindings or by utilising their natural repulsion to other explosives to guide them would suffice! "I mean, what else am I supposed to do? Dig up the moat by hand?!" Ares had considered doing this the long and hard way but it would take forever. He could hire disciples via the mission hall but it was a dull task, would still take multiple days anyway, and was a waste of resources to pay them with seeing as how Ares could do it all himself. He was being a bit more... Explosive, than necessary, he couldn't deny it, but it wasn't haphazard or careless in execution!
With a deflated sigh, Enyo gave up. "Fine, but don't let me see any disciples getting caught up in the blast or this won't be the end of this conversation!" Enyo didn't actually expect Ares to mess up like that, plus he had his anti-friendly fire mutation so it was even more unlikely, but as his overseer of sorts she had a duty to keep him on his toes. She was diligent in making sure this unruly bomber blasting revenant was on his best behaviour while she was around, that was the least she could do for the poor universe Ares inhabited. Also, she was knowingly being a bit of a hard-ass because...
"Ok Ok... Here." Bribery! Ares handed over some mint honeycomb and Enyo contentedly walked away while stuffing some in her mouth. She wasn't much of an arbiter of justice if she could be bought off by snacks but, then again, love was blind and Enyo was willing to occasionally turn a blind eye to Ares' antics so long as they weren't completely unreasonable. At least she did more than Bellona who just didn't put the brakes on Ares basically ever. She was content to just sit around, slurp bubble tea, and watch whatever chaos was unleashing unfold. If Enyo wasn't here, Blo Blo might even help Ares out by doubling the Shock Beads to make sowing the seeds of destruction even faster...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
One Chaos Reigns later and Ares had sent the dirt sky high, blasting it to kingdom come. Most of it was eviscerated by the ferocious annihilation energy but some of the ground near the surface was far enough away from the blast to survive and be sent to the heavens. Ares summoned a flat disintegration barrier vertically above the nearby areas of the sect, just in case any dirt came tumbling down from way up high, but it seemed most of it was rocketed straight out of the atmosphere and there was no risk of it returning. This was hardly professional but Ares thought it would be fun to watch something get propelled into space and took some liberties with his handling of the explosives. Normally he would lay down less Shock Beads, control the output of the blasts, or create a disintegration dome around the detonation site to limit the reach of the projectile madness that followed the explosions... But now that he bribed Enyo, and Yulo wasn't here, he was free to enjoy the dirt fireworks! The disciples also enjoyed watching it! Though Ares could practically hear Rud breathing down his neck about this already...
Next up was cleaning the pit he just made. Pouring water into the 'moat' as is would lead to it being incredibly uneven and jagged near the depths. It wouldn't be the end of the world but, as the Scylla grew, it might become uncomfortable for it and Ares would have to change it eventually anyway. There was no reason not to do it now while it was still convenient. The solution was incredibly simple as Ares used a fairly large Ebon Tide to flood the dug-up earth and wash away any sharp edges. He grinded down the sunken earth and cleaned up the pit making it smooth and perfectly rectangular. No jutting spikes, no weird curves, no nooks and crannies to hide in. The latter was important in its own way as the last thing Ares wanted was for some aquatic race to build a secret cavern in his moat and remain undetected as it lurked nearby, waiting for an opportunity to cause havoc. The Scylla would probably notice if such a thing happened but it was better to be safe than sorry and not allow the possibility in the first place. Ares noticed the moat could stand to be a little deeper so he allowed his disintegration to chip away at the earth it was rolling around on top of a little more and he was eventually satisfied. He wanted the Scylla to be able to drag people to their death and give them zero chance of returning to the surface for air but he also didn't want it to be so deep that people could sneak into the sect by going under it. A difficult midpoint to find but Ares could adjust and make the moat deeper if need be. It was easier to cut out the bottom than to fill it up so he left it on the shallow side for now and would adjust as he saw fit later. He'd need to do it at some point for the Scylla to continue using this moat as a home anyway so this project was not going to simply be over and done with by the end of the day.
And now it was time to unload the water he was storing in his Blade. He had too much, if anything, but at least he wouldn't have to take multiple trips to and from the ocean this way. He could probably just throw the remaining water at an opponent in combat as an impromptu tide. It was mostly a distraction, the water wasn't magical or anything so it was less impactful than a Tidal Greetings from his Deep Blue enabler, but it was free to do so why not? Actually, Ares could also store deadly hazards like radioactive waste or poison gas in his Blade, and this was a realisation he only just now came to, but he'd worry about that some other time as it wasn't relevant right now. Maybe instead of throwing Rox at people he would summon an eruption of lava or something out of thin air to mess with people but, for now, it was just a bunch of water spewing forth. Ares held the Blade firmly in both hands with the tip pointed down and lightly dug into the earth. He took a bold pose near the edge of the moat as water flooded out of his spatial storage... Though from a certain angle it did just look like he was taking a massive leak... Some disciples found this very amusing and the misconception that the moat was filled with the sect master's urine would somehow manifest. Worse still, when the Scylla appeared some particularly dumb disciples would genuinely believe Ares' piddling was an act of God. Funnily enough, technically speaking, the God of creation, Mako, could maybe do such a thing of he really tried to. When his cultivation improved it was definitely feasible to pee a creature into existence so the disciples of Heaven's Path were worshipping the wrong fundamental champion! If they wanted their lord and saviour to be able to excrete monsters they should become followers of Mako, not Ares!... Not that Mako would ever willingly do such a thing, the mere suggestion would be mortifying to him. Elves could be particularly bloodthirsty, which contrasted with their usual prim and proper image, but that didn't mean they were lacking in pride. Mako would never do such a disgusting thing!
Once the moat was filled, there were only three things left to do. The first of which was the simplest, plopping the Scylla heart inside the moat. According to Ignizz, Ares merely had to put the heart on the surface of the water and let it sink all the way down to the bottom. There was the slight caveat that only one water monster can own a territory at a time, so if Ares brought a water dragon here for whatever reason it couldn't then share this territory with the Scylla, but that was fine. Ares was more than content to let the Scylla make the sect it's natural habitat as Ares didn't think he'd find a better water-attuned guardian than this no matter how hard he searched. The only other real option was, as stated, a water dragon but Ares hadn't even seen a normal dragon let alone one with an affinity. Anything else would be inferior to the Scylla, especially this one in particular as it was quite special, so it was free to ingrain its mana into the moat and make it its own little personal hub. Besides, it's not like Ares couldn't put other creatures in the water around here, it just meant that only the Scylla could use its innate territorial abilities and that wasn't even the kind of thing most normal monsters could do regardless. It was worth keeping in mind that aquatic monsters would compete for dominance in a space if they were of high enough status, to hold dominion over the territory, but it wasn't a problem that mattered at this moment in time. Ares watched the Scylla heart drop down into the depths of the large moat but was now wondering how to keep it safe. The heart was pretty durable now that it was given a home, there was a barrier around it if Ares' Omniscience was seeing things correctly, but he still didn't feel right leaving it unguarded like this and would have to station some reputable disciples in the area for a while just to make sure nothing untoward happened to it. Ares could also place some detection runes around the moat and come solve any issues himself. By the time he left for Akarala the Scylla heart should have already grown a little into something that could fight off the occasional curious interloper into its moat.
With one more step complete, only two remained. Teh first was building the bridge over the moat and the second was rebuilding the gate. The former task was obvious, anyone not capable of flying wouldn't be able to enter the sect without a bridge so this was the most prominent issue that had to be solved. It wasn't a simple matter either as using weak materials in the cultivation world was asking for trouble. All it would take is one idiot to start an argument with another idiot atop the bridge and the chances of it being broken in the ensuing brawl were quite high. Ares dabbled with the idea of using his own physical pressure to build a bridge but that would require him to refresh it every now and then which wasn't always possible. It might survive a trip to Akarala but if Ares went on a longer adventure he wouldn't be there to supply it with more pressure when the reserves ran low. Ares hadn't come across any rare materials that would be ideal for bridge building so he appeared to be in a bit of a pickle... Or, well he would be if he hadn't given this problem due consideration a long time ago! Back when Ares first acquired the Scylla heart he joked about creating a moat for it but he wasn't completely unserious about it. He imagined the building process from start to finish and, naturally, came across the bridge material issue way back then. He hadn't come across any valuable metals in Xasca, even though he kept an eye out for them, but he did have a backup plan of sorts. It wasn't pretty but, after acquiring his Garmr transformation, Ares had, in his spare time, been removing his own bones. One by one, he plucked out his own skeleton and then patiently waited for regeneration to kick in and rebuild his body. As for the bones he wrenched out, which was surprisingly not as painful as he imagined thanks to Garmr's toughness, he kept them stored for precisely this issue. The bones wouldn't be able to build an entire bridge on their own but the stability they would offer as part of its foundations was immense. Utilising his nothingness mana Ares could merge the bones into the bridge's abutments, guardrail, and any necessary arches. Furthermore, with much effort and some disintegration, the bones could be used as filling material to boot. Rare materials? Ares had a bunch of them! The cost was a bit of self harm but, then again, this wasn't new to him. Carving out heart pieces for his lovers, of which he still needed to do something similar for Sandy, selling his monster meat to the Li clan, and his blood to the Nick clan, and who knows what else in the future. Garmr was the rarest of rare species and, thanks to revenant regeneration, Ares could make the utmost use out of it. Clothes from Garmr's fur? Garmr's draconic eyeballs and horns for Allie's alchemy? All very doable. Granted Ares' regeneration needed to be kicked up a notch or two before he felt comfortable ripping his own eyes out, as creating new ones would take some time at his current cultivation level, but his body wasn't just a temple, it was a temple made out of infinitely respawning gold!
This didn't completely solve Ares' bridge issue, there were other parts that needed to be made from other materials, but this much ought to at least keep the bridge stable and intact under rougher conditions. Two elders would need to fight atop the bridge in order to break it and, at that point, they should really know better. If Ares returned form Akarala and his bridge he was broken he would be pretty damn upset and have a strong word or two for the elders responsible. Rather, that was on the off-chance Rud hadn't already gotten his hands on the culprits and throttled the daylights out of them. Better yet... Though the bridge wasn't made yet, Ares went to either end of where it would start and finish and put up a sign that read 'Penalty for fighting atop the bridge, or damaging it, shall be renumeration at worst, expulsion, or death at worst.' The chances of needing to execute somebody were low but the bridge was pretty important. If somebody had it out for the sect for whatever reason breaking it while Ares was out of the country would be a real pain in the neck. Rud would come up with a temporary measure to fix it, and Ares could leave behind spare materials just in case, but at that point the person responsible is clearly a double agent looking to cause trouble and should be dealt with accordingly. Arse would give Slick clear orders to keep an eye on Dascar's movements in relation to the bridge while he was gone just to make sure the biggest potential threat was kept far, far away from it. Ares barely remembered Dascar at the best of times but he definitely seemed like the type to stir up trouble with the bridge just because he could. The only reason Ares hadn't killed him yet was because the man was still donating money to the sect and, the second he dropped dead, that income would stop. The sect wasn't reliant on it anymore but if Dascar wasn't actively making life unlivable for the disciples or elders, and he was just petty scheming in the background, then Ares felt fine ignoring him for a little while longer. He definitely wasn't making it to Vraizon though. If Dascar was smart he would be looking to make a hasty exit some time during Ares' stay in Akarala or, later, Neo Gear. That way he could cling to life... Though Dascar's silly and pointless methods up until now told Ares he was a bit of an idiot and didn't know how to handle him so the chances of Dascar making a correct decision in the upcoming months were pretty slim...
Ares had Voidwalked over to the blacksmithing area and called upon Dabble to make a quick blueprint for a bridge. He could merge everything together in about an hour but he wanted to make sure he was building something structurally sound. All the best materials in the world wouldn't keep a poorly designed bridge upright and Dabble knew a thing or two about construction work so he was the first port of call. Dabble made a blueprint lickety-split and mentioned on the off-hand that he was making great strides with the neon weaponry and would be done soon. Ares kept this in mind as he Voidwalked back over to the moat and began working on the bridge. It was handled carefully and, within the next hour, set up and tested multiple times. Ares walked over it, he used Echo on it once or twice, and even threw a Stamp Out at it. The bridge did not budge and that was a good sign he'd outdone himself. It was only made of regular stone for now, he would look for better materials for it in the future, but the fact that it could withstand this much of a beating was ideal. Dabble, once told Garmr bones would be used in the construction process, took into account the quality of the various materials available and really did a swell job adjusting on the fly to make the most out of the good stuff.
One last issue and it was a bit of a confusing one to solve. The gate... Ares still had it, he stored it in his Blade before demolishing the wall... But there was no wall left to flank the gate if he just shoved it at the end of the bridge! He could put the gate down, bury it into the floor, but the sect would still be open on the sides because of how wide the moat is. It would require people jumping into the moat and swimming, and such behaviour would illicit a response from the guards here obviously, but it wasn't preferable leaving it open like that to begin with. There were a few solutions to this but most of them were time consuming and things Ares couldn't cheat out like the moat. The best bet was a short term fence, and to hire construction workers to work with Dabble on something more appropriate, but even that didn't feel sufficient on its own... Maybe getting Julio out here to put Zap runes on the exterior of the fence, on the side facing the water, would do the trick? That way, if people tried to climb up, they were in for a brutal surprise. Especially given that they'd be wet from the swimming earlier. Leaving it like this wasn't exactly ideal but... Ares hadn't come up with an answer for this. Even planning ahead wasn't enough because nothing came to mind in the time between cooking up this moat and putting it into practice. He was just going to have to install the fence for now and task Dabble, who was better at this sort of stuff, to take a look once he was done with the neon weaponry. Ares, at the very least, wanted the sect to not be so open. Right now there was a giant 'hole' of sorts at this entrance and it made the sect feel breezy and a bit broken. It wasn't, security was tight, and the opening was still narrow enough to guard, plus the fencing would be great at keeping people out, but it really felt that way. It wasn't cheap, Ares wasn't doing some kind of cowboy job, but it didn't look as professional as it could have had he solved this issue here and now. It would remain this way for another week or so but the moat had to be done at some point so there was no avoiding it. Ares brought the gate out of his Blade, set it up in similar fashion to how it was before, and then used some spare fencing he picked up earlier while he was outside the sect and talking the farmers. He put stop-gap runes on the fences before sending a messenger to Julio and promising him a reward if he helped out with the defensive measures near this entrance.
And with that, the moat was semi 'complete'. A few more additional touch ups needed to be done here and there but nothing Ares had t be personally involved in. He would scour for better materials or the bridge, and the gate, but his job was over. For now he could go back home, rest, and then go visit the sect HQ tomorrow... Though he would pick a pretty spectacularly awful time to visit...