6:31 A.M. – The Spies' Beach House
The sound of knocking coming from somewhere downstairs was what finally brought Nick back to reality.
"...I swear, whoever just woke us up, it had better be for a damn good reason," Nick groaned as he hauled himself out of bed, trying not to wake Alex up in the process, to see who was trying to get their attention.
In his sleepy state, Nick didn't even bother looking out the nearby window, because if he had, he would have seen something very disturbing.
As Nick continued to descend down the stairs, the knocking he'd heard became louder and more frantic.
"Dude, I just woke up," Nick groaned. "I can only move so fast when my mind's still kinda stuck in la-la land..."
When he finally reached the front door, he slowly opened it, only to see an equally-bewildering sight.
It was Mandy.
"...wait, Mandy?" Nick wondered. "What the heck are you doing here? If I remember correctly, you're never up this early on the weekends, especially in the middle of summer..."
Now, even in his half-asleep state, Nick definitely noticed that Mandy appeared to be panicking about something.
"J-Jeez, Mandy, calm down," Nick stated. "Just take a few deep breaths, okay?"
When Mandy did so and allowed herself to calm down a little, Nick looked back at her.
"Now, what's the matter?" Nick asked.
Mandy simply pointed to the sky, which had turned a cancerous shade of purple and had multiple disturbing-looking tendril arms poking out from various spots.
"W-What the hell?!" Nick shouted, now fully awake.
(The pages constantly turn, no matter how long the reader takes. When one story ends, another story will inevitably start. In the end, there is only a new beginning.)
Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger are proud to present:
Totally Spies: The New Adventures
Episode 125: Sinister Souls
Story Rated: T for Teen
Story Created: January 15th, 2025
Story Summary: The one-hundred and sixty-seventh co-op project between Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger, and episode one hundred twenty-five of our mission-based series Totally Spies: The New Adventures. The Collective has made their move, preparing a dark ritual to drain people of their souls and use that power to break Null's seal and allow the ravenous creature back into the physical world. The spies quickly link up with the Arbiters of Justice to return to the Still World and hopefully repair Null's seal before it can't be fixed. Even so, the Collective isn't without their backup plans, and one of those plans may involve Michi. Can the spies find out what exactly the Collective needs Michi for, and can they defeat the Collective before Null can be freed and consume all of reality?
Author's Notes from Mat49324: Well, we're ready to put the finishing touches on this 10th season of Totally Spies: The New Adventures! We hope you enjoyed our last project, Jailhouse Jostle, and that you'll be on the lookout for our 11th season (yes, 11th) when it comes in due time. We've also got 2010 Motocross as well as some sub-plots and/or epilogues, and one of those title chases will be an exciting down-to-the-wire finish – believe me! For now, here's The Blue Time Ranger for anything he'd like to say.
Author's Notes from The Blue Time Ranger: And here we are at last, the season ten finale! We've got a creepy monster who wants to end all of existence, more secrets about Michi to reveal, and just lots of general chaos as befits a season finale. So, let's not waste any time, shall we? Prepare your souls as we close out the tenth season of The New Adventures! ROLL IT!
And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer: Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger do not own anything related to Totally Spies or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Marathon Media Group, Image Entertainment Corporation, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, and David Michel. The only things of this story we DO own are any characters or locations created by us truly for the story. Any characters or things we don't own, we are just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of our readers. Besides, if we did own Totally Spies, which we don't, why would we be writing fiction on a fan site?
Act 1: Soulful Ballad
6:43 A.M. – The Spies' Beach House
"And just what is all of that?!" Nick gasped as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
"That's what I was hoping to ask you guys," Mandy admitted. "I just woke up myself because I heard a strange noise, and then I look outside and see this!"
Nick took a good look at the messed-up sky and the multiple arms protruding from it, only to come to a terrifying conclusion.
"Oh, I sincerely hope this doesn't mean Null broke out before the Arbiters could stop the Collective..." Nick sighed.
"Should I... probably find a place to hide?" Mandy wondered.
"That's probably a good idea, Mandy, because I have a feeling things are about to get very messy and uncomfortable," Nick answered. Knowing that the spies obviously had experience with this sort of thing, Mandy just nodded and ran to find somewhere safe.
Nick quickly raced back into the beach house once Mandy had ran off. "Hey, everyone, wake up right the hell now!" Nick shouted. "We've got an official emergency on our hands!"
May was the first to come running down the stairs with the rest of the spies not too far behind, as she usually always trusted her instincts when Nick said that something was horribly wrong.
"Um, pardon my French, but what the hell is all of that?!" Clover gasped.
"Null," Nick answered, snapping everyone to attention. "It looks like it managed to break out."
"Oh, that'd definitely not any sort of good," Haruka admitted. "I hope the Collective didn't have some kind of secret trick..."
"Hey there!"
The spies all turned around just in time to see all four of the Arbiters of Justice running towards them.
"Is everything okay with you guys?" Sam asked. "What happened in that place where you were chasing the Collective?"
"Those dirty rotten scumbags were just stalling for time," Gigi growled.
"They were leading us all around the Still World to distract us while they broke Null's seal," Cecilia admitted.
"Thankfully, Liz managed to use her own powers to close our gateway to the Still World, so Null can't get out of it," Raora answered.
"Unfortunately, as you can probably see from up there, that won't hold Null for long," Elizabeth proclaimed. "We either need to find the Collective and make them tell us how to repair Null's seal, or find a way to destroy Null before it can break out of the Still World."
"Can something like that even be destroyed?" Nozomi wondered.
"Hey, we've destroyed worse-looking threats," Nick answered. "Remember, we stomped that time-bending witch Eitri twice. I think we've got this one in the bag."
"Let's just pursue option one first," Mat stated. "I have a feeling Null won't actually be a problem for this place until he breaks out. Even so, we need to hurry."
"I can sniff the Collective out for you," Raora responded. "Follow me!"
With that, the spies all followed the Arbiters as they raced down the street to find the Collective. Michi could only hope that this would finally give her some answers about what the Collective wanted with her.
"I guess this Null thing is way more powerful than predicted," Mat remarked with some surprise.
"Buddy, you don't know the half of it," Gigi sighed.
"I... don't know why, but I feel like I might have the best chance of beating Null," Michi remarked.
"You sure, Michi?" Nick asked.
"It's just a feeling I got," Michi admitted. "And I have a feeling it might have something to do with whatever the Collective wants with me."
"And you chose us as your 'safety net' like quite a few others before us?" Clover presumed.
"To put it one way, I guess," Michi replied. "You all just seemed like the perfect people to help me out."
"Of course, no way we'd leave someone out in the cold," Sam added.
Clover and Alex nodded in agreement, as did Nick and Mat.
"I hate to say this, but I feel like our time with Michi is already winding down..." Blaine commented.
"Just when I was getting attached to that..." Mat added.
"That doesn't mean I'm not grateful for trusting your abilities to keep me safe or whatnot," Michi reminded.
"I see where Mat's going with this..." Nick sighed. "There was Klee first, then Kana, and we found out they're our kids in the future, then Ashley, Momo, and now Michi."
"How do these certain people figure us out?" Bridget wondered.
"Sounds like the vibe I've given some of the people at the Mali-U Paper..." Mat commented.
That got Nick thinking about starting a baseball podcast with the Mali-U Baseball team or join one that was likely going on at Mali-U since Mat opened the proverbial door with the Supercross season.
It was an interesting idea, one Nick had never really thought of before, but it could never hurt to try, right?
"Well, you're the 'bench racer', after all, Mat," Melissa giggled with some air quotes on "bench racer."
"I just pay attention to detail," Mat chuckled. "It's like I do for basketball, there's things you don't forget..."
"That's the truth," Alex chuckled.
As the spies continued to move forward, they could feel the temperature getting hotter and hotter.
"Okay, it's summertime, but I don't think summer could get any hotter than this..." May chastised.
"This isn't The Long Hot Summer, after all..." Mat commented.
"I'm seconding Mat on that," Haruka remarked.
"There's no doubt this is Null's dirty work," Raora told the spies.
"If there's one thing we know about Null, it's very good at knowing exactly what everyone's weaknesses are," Gigi warned.
"Duly noted," Sam stated.
"We better stay on guard," Clover emphasized.
The spies continued to move on until they were in for the first of their surprises.
It appeared to be a crowd of villains from their rogues' gallery.
"Wait, wait, hold on, Null didn't break the bad guys out of jail again, did he?!" Clover shouted. "We literally just got done putting them all back in, and now this!"
"...wait, something's off about them," Nick stated after scanning the baddies with his psychic radar. "I'm not picking up a single thought from any of them. It's like their minds are just... blank. Is that weird to any of you?"
"We might know something about that," Cecilia answered as she readied her lance.
"Null likes to make copies of people called Echoes," Elizabeth explained as she brandished Thorn. "They're basically perfect copies of a person, except they can't talk and only follow Null's orders."
"They're not technically real, considering they were created by Null, so there's no need to hold back," Raora stated as she equipped her katars.
"I don't need to be told that twice," Gigi cackled as she equipped her gauntlets.
The army of Echoes charged towards the spies and they went to battle.
May ducked down to leg sweep an Echo of Max Exterminus off of its feet before kicking it into the air, then jumping after it and slamming her anchor into its face to send the Echo crashing into the ground, where it exploded into dark wisps on contact.
Naturally, an Echo of James moved to grab Sam, but she wasn't having any of it, running forward to meet the Echo and kicking it in the groin. While it stumbled backwards, Sam fired an Electromagnetic Curling Iron and hit dead center, destroying the Echo.
Nick found himself surrounded by Echoes of Kandinsky, Tim Scam, and Professor Genesis, once again inwardly glad they'd hopefully never have to deal with the real Professor Genesis again.
Nick let all three of the Echoes get closer to him before firing a Final Shine Attack with his right hand to obliterate the Echo Scam before sweeping it around to destroy the other Echoes around him as well.
More Echoes seemed to materialize out of thin air, but the spies were surprised to see the Arbiters easily handling them.
Elizabeth swung Thorn to unleash a wave of blue flames that took out a bunch of Echoes while Raora stabbed two Echoes with her katars and tossed them towards Gigi, who punched those Echoes hard enough to vaporize them instantly.
Cecilia charged forward to impale three Echoes on her lance, after which they instantly dissipated, then she swung the lance hard enough to destroy a couple more.
Even Michi got in on the fun, using her portals to drop a bunch of Echoes into Elizabeth's path so she could swing Thorn in a wide arc and cut them all down quickly.
Eventually, the Echoes finally stopped spawning, allowing everyone to catch their breath.
"...hey, the temperature just went down," Haruka noted.
"That's a thing that happens," Gigi answered. "As you can probably tell, Null just... doesn't really fit in with this reality. That's why reality tends to get all screwball-y when it's nearby."
"And that's usually how we can tell when Null's encroaching on a world," Cecilia stated. "It, at the very least, gives us time to prepare a counteroffensive."
"It does sound like there have been times when you haven't been able to stop Null from consuming a world, huh?" Mat noted.
"And that would be the Collective's doing," Elizabeth replied. "Remember, they worship Null like it's some kind of god, but they seriously have no idea that it really isn't going to do what they want it to do."
"Yeah, Null hates everything that isn't itself," Raora stated. "We've been able to keep its seal up until recently, but now that it's probably about to break free, we need to focus on finding a way to actually destroy it."
"And I think the only way we're going to do that is if we go back to the..." Elizabeth started before trailing off when she noticed something odd in the distance.
It started as one small speck of eerie green light, only to quickly become a myriad of green lights that shot into the sky, towards the rifts where Null's limbs were coming out from.
"Okay, what the heck just happened?" Nozomi wondered.
"...those bastards," Gigi gasped when she realized what had just happened.
Just then, Sam's X-Powder beeped and she flipped it open, only to see the image of a slightly panicked RiCO on the screen.
"Spies, we've got a bit of a problem," RiCO proclaimed. "Jerry just vanished without a trace, as did all of the agents in the building. Worse, I just did a scan of the city, and everybody except you guys is just... gone!"
"The Collective took their souls from them," Elizabeth sighed, catching the spies' attention. "Null does the same thing when it consumes a world. It literally consumes the souls of its people before it takes the world as well."
"Is there any way to reverse that?" Mat wondered.
"We've managed to interrupt the ritual by taking down the caster, and it returns any souls that were taken," Raora replied. "So, if we're going to free the souls of your city..."
"...then Null has to go," Michi realized.
"I think the best bet is to make our way back to the Still World and go after Null ourselves," Gigi answered.
"Not without me, you're not!"
The spies all glanced towards the nearby street as Sortiliena came rushing over to join them.
"Holy crapbaskets, you're okay, Sortiliena?!" May gasped. "How did you escape... that?!"
"Jerry had already disappeared, but RiCO and iCO managed to yoink me into the Datascape just in time," Sortiliena admitted. "You'll probably need all the help you can get against this Null thing."
"Then we don't have a second to waste," Elizabeth proclaimed, raising Thorn and slashing it downwards to tear open a rift that led back to the Still World. "We need to find the Collective and Null before this gets any worse."
"Wait, hold on, what about that other problem?" Nick asked. "Remember, Raora told me that just being in the Still World without proper protection drains the life out of you until you're nothing but a petrified statue, right?"
"That's why we came prepared this time," Cecilia answered as all four Arbiters raised their weapons and chanted a quick spell, surrounding all of the spies in a veil of bright red light for a couple seconds. "That spell will protect you from the draining effects of the Still World."
"Let's get moving, then," Sortiliena proclaimed, while RiCO and iCO temporarily downloaded themselves into Nick's X-Powder to assist the spies. "Oh, oh, right."
Sortiliena walked up to Nick and handed him a glass case that held the seven Psy-Stones. "RiCO told me to deliver this to you," Sortiliena quipped. "It kinda sounds like we might be needing them by the end of this."
"Good thinking, Sortiliena," Nick responded as he opened the case to stuff the Psy-Stones into his Jetpack Backpack so everyone could finally cross through the portal into the Still World.
Unknown Time – The Still World
"...what in the absolute fishsticks am I looking at?" May gasped once everyone entered the Still World, a distorted purple void filled with floating platforms and mysterious objects scattered haphazardly. "I've seen some pretty messed up places in our travels, but this might just be a contender for the cake."
"Yeah, that's what we thought, too," Gigi chuckled.
"We'd better hurry," Michi responded. "I still have some 'things' to ask the Collective about what they want with me."
The Arbiters took point and started moving forward, the spies following closely behind them.
("Wide Awake" by Katy Perry plays)
"Great... more Mario Party references..." Nick groaned.
"No way out of this, man," Mat replied, sympathizing with Nick after before.
Nick could only ask himself why some more Mario Party references were being brought back with the floating platforms at least.
Then again, this place didn't seem to conform to the normal laws of reality, so maybe the whole "floating platforms" thing didn't seem like a real issue anymore.
With that, everybody looked at where the booby traps were on the floating platforms and jumped from one to another.
"Oh, no way you're messing with us that way!" Nick exclaimed.
He countered a booby trap with his psychic shot.
"Oh, a good idea, Nick," Sam quipped and got out her Laser Lipstick.
Everyone else followed suit as the floating platforms started to move around haphazardly.
"Stay still, you stupid hunk of rock!" Gigi exclaimed as she punched a platform with her gauntlets to keep it still.
"Sounds like she had a bad experience with those things, huh?" Melissa chuckled as she and Dawn both fired Cyclone Blast Hairdryers to hit more platforms and stop them from moving.
"They tend to move at random without outside interference, and Gigi's not exactly the patient type," Cecilia giggled.
Before long, all of the floating platforms that had been darting around settled down and reconnected, opening a way forward.
"Geez, I think we were all put through the 'Ninja Warrior Ringer' there..." Haruka wheezed when it was all over.
"No doubt about that," Bridget stated.
Before long, the spies could feel another change upon them. They could see an Olympic-style pool now.
"Are they tapping into our backgrounds?!" May chastised, knowing she, Bridget, and Haruka are on the Water Polo team at Mali-U.
"I don't see any nets up at all," Melissa observed.
"But I do see people in there," Michi added.
"And it looks like trouble," Mat remarked.
Some people were inside and motioning for help.
"What's going on?" Alex asked them.
"I think I see the trouble..." Britney remarked, pointing near them.
The rest of the spies could see a couple of small silhouettes in there that looked like some bloodthirsty fish.
"Those are either piranhas or pool sharks," Nick remarked, alarmed.
"Well, we better get them out before they're fish food!" Blaine emphasized.
"Hold on a sec!" Michi exclaimed. "I'll bet this is a trap..."
"How?" Clover chastised.
"Well, we've got only seconds to make a decision..." Mat reasoned.
"I might have something in mind," Sam announced. "Michi, can you get a portal ready for us just in case we need to bail?"
"Roger," Michi quipped as she opened a portal near the pool.
Sam, Mat and Sortiliena decided to move closer to the pool to rescue the hostages while Nick floated in the air above the pool, ready to blast anything that tried to interfere.
"H-Help! Please, get this shark away from me!" one of the swimmers exclaimed.
One of the sharks lunged to take a bite out of the swimmer, but Nick swiftly blasted it away with a Final Shine Attack, allowing Sam to swim closer and pull the swimmer to safety.
"There you go, you're safe now," Sam stated.
"...wait, something's not right," Elizabeth admitted. "These swimmers would have been turned into statues by now, since they don't have a protection spell like us, so..."
"So sorry you had to press your luck," the swimmer laughed as she waved her hands, her disguise fading to reveal the familiar white hood of the Collective. The other swimmers quickly revealed themselves as members of the Collective, and the pool sharks all flew into the air and shot like missiles towards the spies.
Elizabeth jumped in front of the spies and slashed Thorn a couple times, destroying the sharks with one swing each.
The pool faded away, leaving just one of many floating platforms that listed around the Still World.
"How nice of you creepos to finally show your faces," Clover taunted. "Well, sort of."
"Why do you still insist on fighting when you know it's pointless?" one of the goons laughed. "Null's seal is broken, and you can't possibly keep it in the Still World forever. Eventually, it will break through, and your pathetic world will be consumed like so many others before yours."
"You know that you'll be consumed, too, if Null gets out!" Raora exclaimed. "You're being played for fools! Null doesn't care about anything but itself!"
"We know that," the lead goon cackled, surprising the spies. "Why do you think we've been trying to free it?"
"Long, long ago, before time itself was even a speck in the eyes of whatever divinity there was, Null drifted in the primordial void of nothingness," one goon proclaimed.
"It was a pleasant place for Null," another goon stated. "This void only needed Null and nothing else."
"But then, the wretched gods created the world, stealing away Null's peaceful void," a third goon quipped. "Null would relentlessly tear away at the fabric of this new world, but the servants of the gods always repaired it... until now."
"But now, thanks to our efforts, Null can finally return things to how they were meant to be... back to absolute nothingness," another goon laughed.
"We exist solely to allow Null to return all to the void, back to the state in which Null prospers!" another goon bellowed.
Elizabeth lunged forward and slashed Thorn at one of the goons, sending them all stumbling back.
"You're insane," Elizabeth taunted. "Every last one of you."
"You wouldn't understand," one goon retorted. "Existence itself is an affront to Null's vision of a perfect world. We're doing reality a favor by erasing it."
"And speaking of which, you've got some explaining to do," Michi proclaimed. "You wanna tell us what, exactly, I have to do with this whacked-out scheme of yours?!"
"Ah, if it isn't our little puppet," one goon laughed. "Rest assured, you will know your purpose in due time."
"Well, sorry, but I'm impatient!" Michi shouted as she conjured a portal underneath the goons to drop them into it.
"They're about as unhelpful as ever," Sortiliena quipped. "And they're clearly clinically insane, if that spiel they just dropped on us is anything to go by."
"So, hold on, if Null is something that existed before creation itself, then..." Haruka wondered.
"Yes, the Still World is essentially the realm of the primordial chaos that predates all of existence," Elizabeth answered.
"...wow, that's trippy," May admitted.
"I think we mentioned something along these lines, but the Arbiters of Justice have existed just about as long as humanity has," Gigi explained. "Their major purpose had been to find ways to keep Null contained so that it doesn't break out of its seal."
"The four of us are merely the latest generation of the Arbiters," Raora stated.
"Have any of the previous Arbiters ever tried to, you know, actually fight Null?" Nozomi asked. "Someone has to have tried before."
"Not any that we're aware of," Cecilia answered. "They've mostly kept their efforts to keeping Null's seal intact so we'd hopefully never have to find out."
"I still think we can take Null down if it comes to that," Nick responded. "After all, need I remind you guys of the seemingly 'unstoppable' foes that we've beaten?"
"Then how about we hurry up and find Null so we can put this theory to the test?" Elizabeth proclaimed. "I'm starting to think we've let this thing dally long enough. Just because it existed before creation itself doesn't mean it's invincible, after all."
"That's the spirit, Liz!" Gigi laughed. "Let's go and find that thing and whip it into shape!"
"So... where exactly is Null in this kaleidoscopic nightmare realm?" Mat wondered.
"Just follow the weird claw hand things, I guess," Alex quipped, pointing towards a place far in the distance, where more of Null's clawed tendril arms could be seen emerging from a rift. "We saw those things in Beverly Hills, after all."
"Sounds like a plan," Cecilia stated. Once again, the Arbiters took point and the spies followed.
"We have the best idea about Null," Raora told the spies. "Best if you let us lead."
"I'll bet we have to worry about sneak attacks," Blaine deduced.
"I wouldn't rule it out," Gigi told them.
"Just keep a safe distance," Elizabeth added.
The spies took their word on the matter and followed the clawed tendril arms. However, Null knew the spies were onto it.
"Whoa, boy!" Mat exclaimed as he dodged an attack.
The tendril arms were going everywhere like an octopus or squid that was hungry for dinner.
"Geez, this thing is relentless!" Sam exclaimed.
"One with the acid on top of that, too," Haruka groaned.
A tendril arm went for Haruka herself, but Michi countered it with one of her portals.
"Oh, good move!" Alex exclaimed.
Michi had an idea before Null could even think about pulling one of its tendril arms out. She then tried to extend the width of her portal and was successful.
"Wow, your portals are really useful!" Nozomi exclaimed.
"Nothing they can't do," Michi quipped.
Null was no longer in sight, but Michi was slightly exhausted.
"Michi, you good?" Nick asked.
"That's the only defect about my portals," Michi replied. "It takes a bit out of me if I have to make the portal bigger."
"Geez," Mat sighed.
"No worries, Mat," Michi quipped. "I'm working on that."
"So, where'd you send Null to?" Haruka asked Michi.
"Just somewhere far away from here," Michi quipped. "That way, we have some room to breathe, because I have a feeling that was only round one."
"Well, then I guess that's our next stop," Sam remarked in her leader tone.
"Is there anything else you guys know about Null?" Clover asked.
"As Michi said, what we just fought off was only a piece of Null," Raora admitted. "Its true self is much bigger than what we just took care of."
"If what we saw out in Bev is true, then I'd believe it," Britney quipped.
"Well, we'll take what we can get," May quipped.
"So, what's the game plan now?" Dawn wondered.
Suddenly, the entire Still World began to shake, forcing the spies to fly into the air with their Jetpack Backpacks to avoid losing their balance.
"...okay, question," Sortiliena asked. "What happens if you... fall into the void below us?"
"Trust me, you don't want to know," Cecilia answered.
"...okay, that makes sense," Haruka noted.
"I guess it's a good thing that we brought extra refills on our jetpack fuel," Sam admitted. "Because I've just got a feeling that we're going to be using a lot of it before this crazy journey is over, especially if Null is as nuts as we've been led to believe."
"Let's just keep moving," Mat responded. "I don't know how much time Michi's portal ride got us."
And so, the trip through the Still World continued, with the spies hopping across more platforms that seemed to twist and contort in ways that wouldn't normally be physically possible.
"How long do you think your barrier spell is going to keep Null here in the Still World?" Melissa asked.
"Hopefully long enough for us to finish it off for good," Gigi quipped.
"You said something about Null being a lot larger than what we've been seeing?" Nozomi wondered.
"That's actually got something to do with why most of the previous generations of the Arbiters of Justice didn't just destroy Null outright," Elizabeth explained. "They learned the hard way that Null's true self is inside of its own body."
"So, basically, the body of Null that we've been seeing is... essentially just its shell?" Mat gasped.
"Pretty much," Gigi answered. "What you've seen of Null is pretty much the 'body' it created for itself after consuming so many people and worlds. It uses what it's consumed to construct its body, in order to extend its reach."
"And that means, if we're gonna take the fight to Null and get rid of it once and for all, then we're going to have to head inside of Null's body and destroy whatever its actual body is," Bridget summarized.
"That kinda feels like it's going to be a trip and a half," Alex quipped. "Any advice for us?"
"We've only been inside Null's body once before, and it's... well, if you think the Still World is weird and trippy, then imagine that, but amplified by about a hundred-fold and you've got Null's body," Elizabeth answered.
"Just one more question before we take the plunge," Nick wondered. "When we defeat Null..."
"If we defeat Null," Gigi stated.
"When," Nick retorted. "When Null's taken care of, will everything it's consumed be restored? Because, from the way you worded it, it seems like Null didn't just wipe whatever it consumed out of existence, if it's using that to create its body."
"If that's the theory, then hopefully it's true," Raora sighed.
Nick could easily tell that Raora was thinking about somebody in particular, but he decided not to push it, especially considering they had more pressing issues to attend to at the moment.
"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Michi proclaimed. "Let's find our way into Null's body and start ripping and tearing that thing a new one."
"Yeah, there's so many people and places that are probably just waiting for us to free them, so let's go and do that!" Sortiliena exclaimed.
"Now, we just need a suitable entry point," Sam stated. "Should we keep following the hand things?"
"Yup, that's usually where Null is trying to claw through," Gigi quipped. "We just gotta find one of those and force our way in there."
"I hope you're all ready," Elizabeth stated. "If you thought this place was perilous, Null's body is going to be even crazier."
"Hey, I say 'bring it on'," May responded. "We've been through so much crazy in our lives that we're ready for just about anything!"
"That's what I like to hear," Gigi laughed. "Then let's get this over with already!"
The group traversed a few more floating platforms, occasionally coming across more statues of people who had wandered into the Still World without proper protection, before eventually finding themselves in front of a purple-and-blue rift with more Null arms sprouting out from it.
"Okay, I'm gonna need you to back off, mister grabby," Nick teased as he blasted the hands away with a Final Shine Attack, leaving the rift free to enter.
"I feel like I should give you all one more warning," Elizabeth stated. "Once we're inside Null's body, it won't just let us waltz on up to its core. We'll probably have to deal with its own internal defenses."
"Trust me, Elizabeth, we've been through worse," Clover responded. "I think we're ready."
"We'll probably also have to keep an eye out for the Collective, since I'm pretty sure they have their own business in there, too," Michi noted.
"Hey, we'll stomp 'em no matter how many times we've gotta," Dawn answered. "Now let's get this show on the road!"
The Arbiters once again took point, crossing through the rift with the spies close behind, as they all entered Null's body to find its core and end it once and for all.
To be continued...
Next time...
Alex: ...oh, wow. Liz wasn't kidding about this place being even crazier than the Still World.
Nozomi: Where do we even go in a place like this?
Blaine: Yeah, it looks like one of backwards worlds where black is east and up is white.
Michi: Hey, look over there.
Sam: What is that?
Haruka: I think it's trying to show us the way.
May: I'm just hoping it's not a trap.
Nick: We really don't have any other paths to take at the moment, so let's just get going. We'll deal with whatever's over there when we get there.
Sortiliena: I have a feeling we've got company.
Mat: I don't see anything, though.
Nick: ...no, there's something here.
Alex: Well, readers, looks like we're in a pickle already, huh? Keep watching to see all of the crazy unfold next time on Totally Spies: Sinister Souls, "Belly of the Beast"!
Haruka: What the heck was that?
Elizabeth: ...sorry, that was me. I accidentally flung my prop sword into the ceiling and now it's stuck there.
May: Somebody really needs to fix that ceiling. I don't trust how it creaks.