Tokiyuki and Sadamune share a quiet moment in The Elusive Samurai chapter 184 as they temporarily set down their swords in a truce and pick up a bottle of sake to reflect on their relationship thus far. They may technically be enemies, but time has made them rather fond of each other.

In many ways, it’s arguably the worst time for Tokiyuki to be fraternising with the enemy. Not only have his forces been defending against a siege by the allies of the Northern Court for several months now, Natsu just brought the terrible news that Toki Yorito is on his way with reinforcements from Mino. Let’s not forget the last time Tokiyuki faced Toki in battle: he was only saved from certain death by the sudden reappearance of Akiie after failing to execute one of his trademark escapes.

As a result, you could even make the argument that Toki is now one of Tokiyuki’s most fearsome opponents, so what better time to bring Sadamune back into the spotlight for one last hurrah? Despite debuting as a cunning warrior, The Elusive Samurai chapter 184 makes it very clear that age has now gotten the better of him: his hair has gone gray, he complains of being tired of war and admits that even “a little rain” gives him a cold now. We might not get much more time with Tokiyuki’s oldest nemesis, so we should enjoy it while we can.

The main theme of The Elusive Samurai chapter 184 is one of mutual respect. Despite facing each other on the battlefield with murderous intent so many times, Tokiyuki and Sadamune also care for one another in a strange way: this is demonstrated through humor as Tokiyuki fusses over Sadamune’s health, but also quite earnestly as Sadamune reveals the secret behind his impressive archery skills. All of this is then beautifully underscored by an excerpt from Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, which emphasises the value of living life to the fullest in the face of inevitable death.

Part of the reason why Tokiyuki’s relationship with Sadamune works so well is simply because he has been around for such a long time. He was actually the first adversary that Tokiyuki ever faced off against back during the dog-shooting competition, and the skills that Tokiyuki has learned from him over the years have come in useful during countless tense battles. Nevertheless, the serialized nature of the story also plays a key part: for myself and many other readers, we’ve spent literal years watching Tokiyuki and Sadamune chase each other around. It’ll be sad when one of them finally goes.

You can The Elusive Samurai chapter 184 in English for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.