Important point: It’s only possible to find this boss on your SECOND playthrough or later, so don’t be surprised if these items don’t show up your first time around. Since it’s your second time through, I assume you know the events of the game, so this guide may contain slight spoilers! If you’ve yet to reach this point, then please be advised.

Obtaining the Black Records

To access this boss, you need to find all five of the Black Records books. It’s worth noting that you’ll find these slightly out of order: This is normal, so don’t panic if you’re missing #1 for a while. These are found in the following times and locations:

Black Records #1 is found in the Ancient Quarry (Nord Highlands) on December 15th. It’s located at the end of the dungeon in the same spot that you fought the boss – you’ll have to return there afterward to pick it up. Black Records #2 is purchased from the Celdic Grand Market on December 1st, from Cornette’s General Goods. Black Records #3 requires you to complete the hidden quest St. Veronica’s Tears on December 9th to access the Bareahard Underground Waterway. This is started by speaking to Sister Tatiana in the Cathedral. Once the quest is finished, return to the Waterway, and you’ll find the Black Records in the same spot as the boss. Black Records #4 requires you to complete the optional quest Gone Air on December 23rd, which is accessed by flying the Courageous to Eisengard Range. After you complete the quest, speaking to Norton at Roer Airport will net you the book. Finally, Black Records #5 is found on the floor in the southwest corner of Lohengrin Castle during the optional quest Mist Opportunities on December 27th.

Once you have all five, talk to Instructor Thomas on the Courageous (Ref Room, 2F) on December 31st. With all this done, the final triggers to access the optional boss are enabled.

Finding Glacia Shrine

After turning in the books to Instructor Thomas, fly to Ymir. Once there, talk to Rean’s parents at the Baron’s Mansion. They will mention a hidden path in Ymir Canyon 1 on the west side of the map. Once you find the path, it’s a straight shot into Glacia Shrine. The dungeon is very short and contains no enemies until the boss at the end, that being Magic Knight Isra-Zamiel.

This is definitely one of the toughest fights in the game, and this boss sports more attack and defense than the final boss, despite having less HP. It’s definitely beatable, however. Note: If you’re having a hard time, consider stacking AT Delay effects on a character (Rean is a good candidate for this) in order minimize the number of turns Magic Knight Isra-Zamiel gets to counterattack.

Once the boss is down, you’ll receive the Ice Crown accessory, which gives +10 CP regeneration per turn and a whopping 50% crit bonus to its wearer. With that, finishing off the second playthrough shouldn’t be a challenge. You’ll also receive the Frozen Heart trophy.

Decoding the Books

While the challenge may have been bested, there’s a little more to do with this sidequest. After reaching the Epilogue, you can visit Instructor Thomas again in the Faculty Lounge on March 12th to receive the Decoding Report. Be sure to use this item from your menu before ending the day!

On the next day, once you’ve made the Reverie Corridor dungeon available, return to Instructor Thomas one last time at the Main Building Rooftop. There will be an event, and you’ll be rewarded with the Scholar of the Truth trophy… as well as some interesting hints at what may come in Cold Steel III.

And that’s about it! Congratulations, you’ve completed the most challenging sidequest in the game. From this point, wrapping up your second playthrough and potentially getting a Platinum trophy should be a breeze at this point. And if you haven’t checked out the Trails of Cold Steel games yet, I highly recommend them. Happy gaming!

Got any interesting strategies for beating the boss? Be sure to leave them in the comments below!