The Clockwork Kingdom.
A short man wearing aviator goggles and clad in heavy-duty mechanic's clothing was seen peeping through a telescope. It pointed northbound and the man gasped as he saw in the distance a gigantic black dome. It seemed to cover the space of the entire North Blossom Kingdom. Such a thing wasn't there yesterday, so what exactly could have happened this time?
Whatever it was, something bad had definitely happened to the kingdom, and since it happened so suddenly, they couldn't offer any assistance. The man frowned and stepped back from the telescope.
"Mayle." the man spoke in a low voice that betrayed his small physique.
A woman sitting at a workbench tinkering with what appeared to be a circuit board didn't seem to acknowledge him, but opened her mouth to respond. "What did you see?"
"Something happened to the North Blossom Kingdom. The entire region has been encased in a giant black dome. I can't tell what it is from here. Myria-Rune may be able to understand the situation better."
"Go get some of the scout drones to survey the situation then," Mayle sighed. "I'm busy with this."
The man shook his head. He seemed to treat the woman named Mayle with great respect, only that she was a bit too invested in technology and didn't seem to treat worldly matters that seriously. He quietly left the observatory room.
...
The North Blossom Kingdom.
As the entire region was now enclosed in a giant black dome, one would assume it was also dark inside. Fortunately that was not entirely the case. The general populace didn't immediately know anything was wrong until the entire area got a booming announcement from Red Crane, who occupied the throne as the 37th Queen of North Blossom Kingdom despite being an invader.
Hokuto was now out of the country and King Ren and Queen Tyris had been killed as a result of Red Crane and Black Deer using forbidden magic that had never been used before in history. Red Crane's sonorous voice was powerful and soulful. It was enough to charm anybody into working for her.
"Loyal citizens of the North Blossom Kingdom," Red Crane spoke. "I regretfully must inform you all that the former king and queen have passed away from illness. As one of the secret advisors to the throne, I am taking over as the 37th Queen due to the Princess being too young to ascend."
As Red Crane was making a speech during her sudden coronation, a figure clad in tattered rags and a disfigured face was hiding behind one of the pillars. It was the Court Vizier Seraphina, who had somehow survived the battle but was left mangled, her beauty forcibly destroyed. Her figure still remained pristine but now she could only be considered a husk of her former self.
She still harbored intense feelings of guilt as she quietly teleported away, unable to keep listening to Red Crane's lies. Passing away from illness? You committed regicide! The Princess being too young to ascend? You forced exile upon her!
Black Deer was quietly coordinating with Purple Owl, Green Lion, Blue Frog and White Tiger to ensure things underground would continue operating smoothly. He delegated Purple Owl and Blue Frog to continue the accumulation of the dark matter energy, while White Tiger and Blue Frog remained with Black Deer on the surface to convert the Dark Moon Guild operatives present in the Kingdom to the Council.
Black Deer knew he couldn't brainwash them but he could coerce them to work under the Council's banner. He had Blue Frog cover that particular niche, as he was particularly skilled when it came to coercion tactics and torture. His next course of action was to draw up a plan to make use of his newfound wealth to further his plans.
Even though he installed Red Crane as the Queen, he knew that she would only answer to him and was essentially a puppet installed by him because he was aware that the populace would be enchanted by Red Crane's voice. Red Crane's secret technique and ability was the capability to charm people by sound!
Blood Lotus had regrettably informed Black Deer that Hokuto escaped, but after she explained that Astraea had assistance from one of the Magic Knights of Myria-Rune, Black Deer couldn't be mad at her anymore. The fact Astraea was friends with one of those freaks was out of his expectations, as he assumed she was a hermit type who didn't have any contacts or backing.
"Losing Hokuto is just a minor setback in the grand scheme of things. As Red Crane has explained, we can just say that she is too young to ascend. We can find another opportunity to get her. For now, we can take advantage of our new base. The Geas Dome I have put around the kingdom will give the people the illusion they are still living normal lives, but nobody will be able to go in or out. It will take weaponry of the nuclear variety from the Clockwork Kingdom to destroy it by force."
Blood Lotus grinned. "But couldn't magic dispel it?"
"On the contrary. The Geas Dome is an Anti-Magic Barrier. In fact, magic makes it stronger. It will take a long time for those scholars of Myria-Rune to study the dome, which is of my own making. It was the culmination of two hundred years of research with the dark matter energy."
"Ohhh, you truly are a genius!" Blood Lotus gave Black Deer a peck on the cheek.
"Indeed, my genius sometimes terrifies me!" Black Deer laughed.
Red Crane entered the chambers where Black Deer and Blood Lotus were after giving her coronation speech. "Friends, colleagues, let us celebrate tonight, for the Council have achieved a huge victory this time!"
"Aye!"