(I'll pretend like I didn't see that "panel" on the Rukia page and enjoy her smiling.)
So they didn't answer the question, what a let-down. I seriously wasted so much time this past week seeking out spoilers like a man-possessed. I'm not really looking forward to the next few chapters if they're going to get through all of the fights first. Might as well marathon them when they're a bit further.
Also, Byakuya is not going to die, obviously. Even if he lost every part of his body other than his head, I'd still say he'd get healed somehow. However, if Kubo has the courage to kill him off, he will definitely gain some respect. Renji and Rukia can get a lot of character development from it and have some very emotional scenes. Not to mention, Ichigo/Renji would probably snap and go bloodlust mode in a future encounter with Quincy.