Nick fired another dark energy blast at the Goth girl that was Death. She batted them aside like they were nothing. She was toying with him, he knew it. This woman had easily defeated Ulquiorra, a powerful Arrancar who had gone toe-to-toe with Ichigo Kurosaki and would have beaten him if not for the Espada regaining their memory.
Death surged forward and slammed her blade into Nick's. He snarled as the force of the petite Goth's attack forced him back, his feet struggling for purchase on the wet rock near the lake. Despite her small stature the girl was very strong; Nick could now see why Ulquiorra had had such trouble with her.
"Destroy Apollymi!" Nick roared again. He unleashed another massive blast of dark energy. Death had in close to deliver a finishing blow so she was unable to avoid the attack. It threw her back and slammed her into the cliffs. She moaned slightly in pain as she fell to her knees, her clothes slightly singed.
"Seems like you're a little tougher than I thought," Death smirked as she twirled her sword. She then vanished from sight in a burst of demonic Sonido. Nick was barely able to react in time to deflect her strike from behind; only decades of training saved his life.
"But, my, my, you are a cute one," Death giggled as she reached out and touched his arm. Nick recoiled, slashing at Death, to force her back. Nick flexed his arm repeatedly trying to get the numbing cold to go away.
"It's rare that a mortal gains my attention," Death continued to taunt. "I don't know there's something about you that just intrigues me."
"Don't know if I can say the feelings mutual," Nick said, the cold entering his chest now and grasping at his heart.
Death smirked and attacked Nick again, her blade dancing. Nick fought against the cold as he blocked and deflected Death's blade, their swords enacting a deadly dance. Death nicked Nick's left arm and then just above his right hip.
"Enough!" Nick snapped. He unleashed a blast of darkness that separated the two again. "I did not become a lieutenant by mere chance! I have kept this secret from everyone except my dear captain. Bankai!" Darkness erupted from his blade and swirled around him. It embraced him like a lover as it slowly consolidated and revealed a pale woman with long silver hair wrapped in black robes that left her back exposed.
"Apollymi the Dark Destroyer," Nick said.
"It's good to see you again my child," Apollymi cooed as she stroked Nick's jaw.
"Now is not the time. We have a world to save," Nick said. Apollymi sighed and turned around revealing that she had swirling silver eyes with no pupils.
"Is this the woman who has been causing you such grief?" Apollymi asked. "She doesn't look like much. Let's see what she's afraid of." Apollymi gave Death an evil smirk before surging forward, black smoke trailing behind her, and grabbing Death by the throat.
Death stood in a place of dazzeling whiteness. Time and space had no meaning here. For the first time ever fear gripped Death's heart.
"No, no, no," Death whispered. Appearing out of the white light was a handsome Arab man in flowing robes that made snow seem dirty. He himself seemed to radiate blinding light as he drew closer.
"Peace, sister. Your services are no longer required. The world has been made anew," He said in a soothing timbre.
"No! NO! I refuse! Death is eternal!" Death shrieked.
"You are no longer needed," He said.
"This isn't real!" Death shrieked. She struck out with her sword and the vision vanished. Apollymi was standing before her with a little pout on her blood red lips.
"Oh, she saw through it," Apollymi whined.
"Seems Death fears what everyone else fears," Nick said. "Her existence coming to an end; of no longer being needed."
"Death is necessary! Death is a natural part of life! Death is eternal!" She hissed venomously. "Reap Thanatos!" Death erupted into her Demonification and charged, her scythe held high. Apollymi intercepted the strike, a blade matching Nick's appearing in her hand. Rage poured off her as Death jumped back before attacking again, her scythe twirling through the air in long sweeping arcs cutting the air. Apollymi blocked and deflected each strike expertly infuriating Death more.
That's when Nick made his move; when Death was distracted by his Bankai's Avatar.
He used Flash Step to get behind Death and then drove his blade through her abdomen. Death gasped in pain and clutched the wound as Nick pulled out his blade. Apollymi pointed her left index and middle fingers at Death, an orb of darkness forming there. She fired the orb and it collided with Death launching the Grim Reaper into the air before detonating in a whirling mass of light-absorbing void.
Death fell from the sky and dropped to the ground in a heap. Groaning and struggling to her feet, Death gripped her scythe and glared at the dark duo. Apollymi was standing next to Nick and both had their swords at the ready.
"I don't understand," Death breathed. "I thought Bankai's were supposed to be an expansion of your power or a compaction of it. Not a bloody woman!"
"Hence why I sought to hid my Bankai," Nick said. "My Bankai is very unusual. It gives form to my Zanpakuto Spirit and allows it to fight alongside me. It also allows me to make manifest my enemy's deepest fears. Some even die of fright."
"Damn you," Death hissed. She burst into Sonido and slashed the air with a heavy blow. Nick's eyes went wide at the pure speed at which Death moved. Then he felt someone shove him in the chest and then blood filled his vision. Falling to the ground, Nick watched as Death's scythe sliced Apollymi in half.
"I'm sorry Nick," Apollymi said as she faded from sight.
"What did you do to my Zanpakuto?" Nick snarled as he got to his feet.
"I can kill anyone with a single strike of my blade. Sorry about your Bankai," Death sneered.
"Damnit." Nick twirled his blade to deflect Death's scythe. "Hado 33: SÅkatsui!" Death snarled as a fireball exploded in her face exposing her skeletal face. "Hado 63: Raikouhou!" Lightning danced from Nick's fingers and caused Death to spasm in pain. Falling to her knees, weak and breathing heavily, Death glared at Nick as he slowly approached.
"Do you concede?" Nick asked.
"I will see this world returned to its natural state. I cannot lose," Death cried as she dove for Nick, swinging her scythe in an upward slash. It caught Nick across the chest as he drove his blade into her chest. Nick fell to his knees, bleeding profusely from his chest. Death was forced back into her normal state, blood covering her front.
"This world is tainted by the greed and wastefulness of Man," Death gasped. "You kill, destroy, and desecrate anything you can get your hands on if it makes you money. At your heart you are all ruled by evil."
"We may be a damaged people but we are trying to fix it," Nick rebuked sheathing his sword and collapsing to the ground.
"You shouldn't have to fix it!" Death snapped before coughing up blood. "Stupid humans." Nick just sighed and shook his head hoping relief would come soon.