A long-awaited showdown between Ichigo "Strawberry" Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki has begun. Has Ichigo succeeded in mastering bankai, the highest level of power that a Soul Reaper can attain, to face Byakuya as an equal?

Part-time student, full-time Soul Reaper, Ichigo is one of the chosen few guardians of the afterlife. Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts--he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by Hollow--a malevolent lost soul. Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace.

"Ichigo 'Strawberry' Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts, he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow, a malevolent lost soul, Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. Orihime's return from the Soul Society is interrupted by the Arrancar Ulquiorra, who has a different, terrifying path for her. Using duplicitous tactics,...

Ichigo, Chad, and Uryu are determined to rescue Orihime from Aizen, but first the would-be heroes must pass Tre Cifras--the land of the disgraced Arrancars, who see destroying Ichigo and his friends as a way to regain their honor.

"While the Soul Reapers are entrenched in bloody one-on-one battles with the Espadas, their sworn enemy Aizen is preparing to make the next move in his elaborate plan. The battlefields of Hueco Mundo will soon give way to another battlefield where the price of losing will prove to be infinitely higher" -- from publisher's web site.