Here’s a quick demonstration of a consistent and efficient method of defeating the Pantheon Core using only the Triple Rod while avoiding damage. The elegance of this strategy is that it requires minimal investment. You need only defeat Maha beforehand; there’s no need to farm for weapon levels. As such, this fight can be replicated in both Normal and Hard Mode.
While the premise of chaining the first stab into itself is simple, there are a number of minute details that make this battle a bit trickier than a cursory glance would suggest. Most pertinent is the knowledge that your Triple Rod strikes need to be rhythmic; button mashing will net you nothing here. Because you need to hold both up and right on the dpad, Zero will attempt to move forward between each hit. The key is timing your presses so that Zero’s forward movement is as minuscule as possible. The timing is moderately precise-both early and late attacks will likely result in contact damage.
The most challenging portion of the fight is right at the onset. Starting at the very edge of the arena is a major disadvantage. Attempting to squeeze in two hits before the first small flame will more than likely be responsible for most of your failed tries. I do it here to show that it’s possible, but if you must cut out one hit from the fight, this should be the one. The time loss is almost completely negligible.
The goal during the first phase of the fight is to inflict enough damage to the Core to force repeated usage of its EX Skill. Along with the aforementioned two starting hits, I land another four hits before the second small flame and five before having to leap away from the properly large flamethrower. Thankfully, the large flame has a generously small hitbox; avoiding it isn’t as difficult as the rather misleading sprite implies. Furthermore, the hitbox dissipates well before the flame graphics do; leveraging this by dash jumping back toward the core and sneaking extra damage in is essential.
Mirroring the start of the battle, the need to jump across the arena after the large flame means that you need to be discerning about how many hits to go for before the Core starts encroaching. I land four and five hits before the first and second advance, respectively. The final hit has to be a jumping strike; otherwise, the small flame will inevitably catch Zero. The invincibility frames granted to the Core are irrelevant; Zero will be trapped between two pistons and unable to chain hits. There is, however, a chance to inflict extra damage while encircled by the pistons. Using the power of 2D-game logic, you can pierce through the front piston with a forward aerial Triple Rod strike, with the danger being that you have to get uncomfortably close to the advancing flame.
Should you retrace the outlined steps verbatim, you’ll find that the Core only has 8 HP remaining after its second advance. In this situation, the Core will almost assuredly attempt to smash Zero into the spiked ceiling with the pistons; hence, you have enough time to get at least 4 hits in if needed, so in addition to skipping one of the perilous two hits at the start, you can afford to either miss or forgo another hit. I use the extra time granted to me to prepare a cheeky finisher.
Thanks for watching! Feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have.