At that moment, Maṇḍalīka, sounding five distinct notes, swiftly approached the king. The mighty foe-slayer walked on foot to where the fierce-armed Cendula stood guard. Lifting his son, he went to his wife, who was lost in lamentation. Meanwhile, Lakṣaṇa, wielding his excellent sword, cut down the king’s arrows and unleashed his own Vaiṣṇava weapon. When the king’s chief kinsman was slain, the king of the earth seized his bow and stood ready for battle. Overwhelmed, he fainted amid the noble families, his presence at sunrise likened to Bhagadatta himself. Seeing the king gripped by fear, he fled swiftly, blood pouring from his wounds. Yet, he was struck again by an arrow that caused him to faint, and once more he fell unconscious, as if a god overcome. Lakṣaṇa, placing the Vaiṣṇava weapon upon his bow, aimed it at Raktabīja. Filled with fear and surrounded by his men, he retreated to where the angry kings were gathered. Observing the enemy, the son of Ratnabhānu entered the camps with his companions. At dawn, the Chandravanshi, beholding the noble assembly, addressed the king: “O you of Gurjara land, together with the sons of Mūlavarman—” Thus summoned, the king proceeded onto the battlefield. He entered the fray with his ten sons, supported by a vast army of a hundred thousand warriors. When all these were slain, only the two kings, with their sons and remaining forces, stood on the field. On the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, as the morning sun shone clear, with Lakṣaṇa’s permission, he arrived at that dreadful battle. Then, the king of Madra, with his ten sons, fought fiercely, and by the end of the day, all the Kṣatriyas were slain, each by the other. Again, when morning broke bright, Bhagadatta, mighty in strength, appeared. Seeing him, Lakṣaṇa, the heroic one, gathered three hundred thousand warriors at his side. By afternoon, the soldiers of both kings had fallen. Lakṣaṇa mounted his chariot and confronted the king who was his father’s enemy. Enraged, Bhagadatta destroyed Lakṣaṇa’s chariot, slaying his horses and charioteer, and advanced toward him. Lakṣaṇa shattered Bhagadatta’s shield and cut through the armor that emerged from it. As dusk fell and Bhagadatta was slain, Lakṣaṇa, filled with urgency, pressed on. Consumed by wrath at Bhagadatta’s fall, the king sent forth fresh forces for battle the very next day. Aṅgada, Kaliṅga, Trikoṇa, and Śrīpati entered the field, joined by Suketū and nine other kings, each commanding nine thousand troops. Seeing these warriors, the valiant Lakṣaṇa rallied his own kings. King Rudravarmā arrived with ten thousand brave soldiers, while Kālīvarmā, with tens of thousands, confronted Kaliṅga. Lakṣaṇa’s valiant younger brother, leading tens of thousands, engaged Śrīpati and reached King Śrītāra, waging a great battle. Vāmana, with tens of thousands, advanced against Mukuṇḍa, and Lallasiṃha, with his own host, marched against Guhila. Three hundred minor kings assembled to face other minor rulers. Then, Cāmuṇḍa, seeing all the kings slain, reflected. Lakṣaṇa recognized that Raktabīja was esteemed by the brāhmaṇas. As evening approached, Lakṣaṇa stood upon an elephant, ready for what was to come. At dawn on the second day, Kṛṣṇāṃśa arrived, accompanied by the gods. Tāraka and Cāmuṇḍa, each commanding two hundred thousand troops, placed all the kings at the forefront. These two mighty leaders, with their armies, swept through the battlefield. Within a single watch, the two heroes slew all the rulers of the earth. Cāmuṇḍa and Tāraka, cunning and ever watchful for an opening, pressed forward together.