Image: Tarnished vs. Esgar — Battle in the Leyndell Catacombs

A sweeping, cinematic anime-style fan-art battle unfolds deep within the Leyndell Catacombs, rendered with high detail, dramatic contrast, and a sweeping sense of motion. The Tarnished stands to the left, clad in full Black Knife armor — sleek, matte black plates layered beneath a hooded cowl that conceals all but the character's glowing blue eyes. Subtle reflections gleam across the metal ridges and bracers, emphasizing both stealth and lethal precision. Their stance is tense and agile, one knee bent, cloak sweeping outward in a dark arc behind them, as though caught in a violent current of air or momentum. In their hands two daggers flash — one held forward in a stabbing stride, the other drawn back for a follow-through strike. Every line of their pose radiates controlled danger, readiness, and resolve.

Opposing them, framed in chaotic red, stands Esgar, Priest of Blood. His white hair is wild and windswept, illuminated starkly against the shadowed stone vaulting of the tomb. His face is contorted with frenzy — eyes burning scarlet, lips snarled into a twisted grin, streaks of dried and fresh blood smeared across cheeks and jaw. His robes, draped in ragged folds, ripple like torn banners, each thread saturated with deep crimson hues. He wields twin blood-red blades, both serpentine in shape, glowing as though forged from coagulated arcane ichor. Their arcs leave visible trails through the air — sweeping crescents of scarlet energy that streak behind his motion like liquid lightning. Around his feet, splashes of blood scatter outward, as though the ground itself responds to his presence with violence.

The arena — the Leyndell Catacombs — towers in the background, carved from pallid stone blocks worn by age, ritual, and tragedy. Tall vaulted arches stretch into darkness, flickering torchlight casting amber glows and long, treacherous shadows across the floor. The cobblestones underfoot are slick and fractured, textured with dust, ash, and blood spatter. In the gloom behind Esgar, spectral albinauric wolves snarl with red-lit eyes, their forms half-shrouded in mist and shadow, amplifying the atmosphere of ritualistic madness. Their teeth glint sharply beneath the red haze of blood flame, suggesting imminent violence.

The composition balances two opposing forces — the cold, disciplined silence of the Tarnished and the frenzied, blood-drunk aggression of Esgar. Black and crimson dominate the palette, clashing like steel on bone, contrasted by pale stone and occasional bursts of incandescent highlights. Blood spirals across the scene in ribbons, trailing through air like calligraphy strokes of war. Motion and tension are captured at the moment before impact — blades inches from meeting, bodies coiled like tempest winds, the silence before the collision of divinity and death. The image radiates battle energy, capturing the haunting beauty and brutality characteristic of Elden Ring’s most memorable duels.

The image is related to: Elden Ring: Esgar, Priest of Blood (Leyndell Catacombs) Boss Fight