The assembled gods spoke to the great goddess, Ambikā, urging her, “O Ambikā, fasten your armor!” In response, she declared with confidence, “Which lowly demon here would dare to stand before me with armor?” To ensure her protection, the powerful Viṣṇu-cage was invoked around her. It was then proclaimed that the buffalo demon was invulnerable to all the gods. Yet, by her own might, Ambikā struck down that king of buffalo demons with blows of her feet, as had been previously told. Who could possibly diminish his pride in battle, especially when the mind of the demon was fortified by the presence of the wielder of the discus, Viṣṇu himself? Ambikā slew the demon along with his mount, and thus, the dispute was settled in detail. Though she had weapons at her disposal, she crushed him with her feet. This sacred event, which took place at the dawn of the age of the gods, is holy and removes the fear of sin. O Brahman, the goddess was seen as she wished, surrounded by elephants, horses, and chariots. The demon unleashed torrents upon the mountain, much like clouds pouring forth showers in the sky. Enraged, the goddess seized her excellent bow with tremendous force. Its golden back shone brilliantly, like lightning flashing among rainclouds. With her mace and club, she struck down some demons; with her shield, she felled others. Shaking the mane of her lion mount, she continued to strike down the demon hordes. Some demons had their necks torn by ploughs, others were cut down by axes. Many fled, some fell, some withered away, and others abandoned the battlefield altogether. Terrified, the demons believed her to be the Night of Destruction and fled in fear. Witnessing this, Namara approached, riding upon a maddened elephant. In battle, the demon hurled a trident at the lion. Then, Hari was seized in the middle by the lord of elephants. Having lost his life, Hari was thrown from the elephant’s shoulder and offered to the gods. Namara spun his weapon with his left hand and sounded it like a drum. From the goddess’s laughter arose beings of many wondrous forms. Some had horse faces, others had buffalo faces, and still others had the faces of boars. These beings bore various faces, eyes, and feet, and wielded many kinds of weapons. Some among them played instruments, while others praised Ambikā. The goddess struck them down as a great thunderbolt shatters a crop. Cikṣura, the commander of the demon army, engaged in battle with the gods. He rained down volleys of arrows upon the earth like a cloud. Cikṣura took up sixteen arrows, each adorned with golden feathers and sharp points. With one arrow, he killed the charioteer; with another, he cut down the banner. When his bow was broken, the mighty one seized his sword and shield. With four arrows, Ambikā cut them apart, and then he seized a spear. He rejoiced in the forest like a jackal with the lion’s mate. Enraged, Cikṣura was struck down by arrows, and the demon fell. With terrifying speed, another demon with a dreadful mouth rushed forward. Durddhara, Durmukha, and another with cat-like eyes also advanced, charging at Kātyāyanī with various weapons and missiles. The goddess laughed and began to play the excellent ḍamaru drum, her divine presence filling the battlefield with awe and terror.