This is a short collection of clips demonstrating four unique ways to dispose of Fire Renant, the miniboss dwelling in Noble Mandrago’s stage. This oversized mechanical ant can pose quite the problem if you let the fight get out of hand, it becomes surprisingly agile as its health dwindles while also laying egg-shaped bombs whose explosions linger for far too long. Thankfully, you never have to let it get to that point. Two of these strategies reside in the realm of practical solutions while the other two are rather demanding and primarily intended for show. Here are the details.
Kicking things off is a very fast but highly precise trick: stunlocking Fire Renant with Sky Chaser. I start by quickly dashing to the upper platform and performing the Rise Form triple slash granted by Hacker Elf Level 2; this forces Renant to switch directions, setting up the conditions for Sky Chaser to rack up damage. Spacing is key for this stunlock, you need to place Zero with pixel precision to have the Z-Saber strike the very edge of the platform and Fire Renant simultaneously. This is key because hitting an enemy with just one of the rocks that Sky Chaser generates upon contact with the ground provides 50% extra damage, allowing only 5 uses of the move to bestow victory in the nick of time. Should Zero stand too far forward, the Saber will hit Renant, but as it's above air, no rocks will be conjured. I wouldn’t recommend this as a run-safe tactic as it’s incredibly easy to botch; if you have access to Hacker Lv.2, repeatedly cycling the standard 4-hit Flame Fang combo is considerably less intensive.
Next up is the harmonious combination of the Time Stopper EX Skill-acquired from Popla Cocapetri-and the charged Z-Saber slash, the grounded variant to be precise. With the Shield Boomerang sadly being relieved of its duties in Z4, the square field that Time Stopper generates on contact is the most dependable method to utilize damage stacking. As a refresher, anytime two attacks concurrently strike an enemy without invincibility frames, damage will be dealt on a per-frame basis. There are two crucial aspects to note when using this exploit. First, the timing is a tad strict, though, learning the rhythm of when to release the charges isn’t too challenging. You want to release the charged slash a split second after letting go of the Buster charge; waiting for too long will have Time Stopper’s field dissipate before the geyser of the charged slash intersects it. Secondly, it’s important that you stay on the ground when executing the charged slash as the grounded variant has a much taller, more forward hitbox than the aerial variant. Since the idea is to overlap two hitboxes for as long as possible, you want to use attacks that cover a lot of space and persist for a long time. I manage a two-charge victory here, but perhaps there exists a method to win with a single charge. Even so, it’s fast enough as is; I can certainly recommend this as a go-to.
Third is a decidedly slower, yet still reliable and also humorous method to trivialize the fight. Standing slightly off-center on the platform and spamming Sky Chaser incessantly will create a persistent stream of rocks that are guaranteed to intercept and interrupt Renant's movement. Try as it may, Renant will never be able to reach Zero so long as you never let up your assault and perpetually pelt it with rocks. Positioning Zero isn't super strict, just remember that the rocks emanate from the point that the Saber strikes the ground, not Zero's legs, hence why I stand off-center. The input to perform this action is simple: hold down while alternating between the jump and attack buttons. Zero suffers little to no landing lag after Sky Chaser, so you can chaining Sky Chasers into each other can be done ad infinitum.
Lastly, I put Fire Renant in Zero’s rolling slash blender. This is by far the most execution-heavy method of the bunch. Stunlocking Renant with this flurry of rapid hits necessitates that you get uncomfortably close to Renant at all times; predictably, contact damage becomes the foremost concern. You’ll notice that I don’t quite go all out at the start of the fight. Letting Renant shuffle up the wall a bit is non-negotiable; if you attack it too quickly, it’ll change directions prematurely and hit you with its flamethrower before you can force a second direction change. When you do properly time the first direction change, you need to maintain steady damage on it as it turns the corner back toward Zero. Jumping to the left while inputting a rolling slash will catch Renant with the backswing of the spin, forcing a turnaround. Once two direction shifts are inflicted on Renant, you can stand in place near it and spin to win.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Sky Chaser Stunlock
00:08 - Time Stopper & Charged Slash
00:15 - Sky Chaser Rock Barrage
00:35 - Rolling Slash Stunlock
Thanks for watching! Feel free to leave any questions or comments you may have.