Thunder Blade/Stage 4

The final stage returns you to an urban setting, although this time at night. The second portion of the stage sends you flying through the enemy's military base.
 * Overhead view:Thunder Blade ARC S4 Overhead.png The overhead portion of this stage follows two roads which wind through a city. Just like the first stage, you are attacked by a mix of tanks and helicopters.  At first, they diverge, forcing you to choose to travel to the left or right of the center block which contains a set of high-rises.  Either pathway is identical.  After a while, the roads will come close together, opening the pathway up for more enemies to attack you simultaneously.  During this time, weave back and forth through the area, and keep your speed fairly high in order to outpace the enemy weapons.  The roads will split back up for a brief moment before the camera shifts views.


 * Behind-the-cockpit view:Thunder Blade ARC S4 Ahead.png Once the camera is behind you, you will be flying through a military installation which serves as the enemy's base of operations. You will face the customary helicopters and tanks that you have faced before.  In addition to those usual dangers, this base contains a large number of pipes that stretch across the road that you fly over.  These pipes force you to fly low or high in order to avoid them.  At first, they alternate between high and low placements, but as you get further into the stage, some pipes will appear in the middle of the stage.  At other times, two pipes will appear at the top and bottom simultaneously.  You must navigate these pipes all while avoiding enemy fire.  Fortunately, you can move left and right fairly freely.  Keep your speed down to a level where you can comfortably navigate the pipes without fear of crashing into them.  When you get close to the end, you will actually see three pipes together.  Carefully fly between them as you approach the final battle.

Boss: Enemy HQ
Unlike all the other boss battles in this game, this one does not occur using an overhead perspective. Rather, you remain in the behind-the-cockpit view as you approach a large building outfitted with several guns. The guns are arranged along the mid-level of the entire base. Move in a circular motion around the base, firing your guns and missiles continuously while you fly around. You should be able to remove a number of guns, leaving the tower behind as the remaining target. Once enough guns have been removed, a cannon rises from the left side of the building. The cannon will fire weapons at you, and is an additional target. Once both the tower and the cannon have been destroyed, you will have completed the game. An ending cinematic will play and the game will conclude.