Enraged by the deeds of the two mighty asuras, Durgā unleashed her wrath and severed their heads, leaving them headless. Having accomplished this, she journeyed to Kauśikī, accompanied by Māryā. She bound the heads of the slain demons together, entwining them with the king of serpents, and used them to tie up Kauśikī. With solemn words, she declared, “A most terrible deed has been done.” And so, she proclaimed that Kauśikī’s fame in the world would henceforth be known as Cāmuṇḍā. Cāmuṇḍā, clad only in the directions, was then addressed: “Go forth and destroy those armies of mules.” Obeying, she struck down the fierce enemy forces, roaming about and devouring other asuras. As the foremost among the Dānavas fell, they fled in terror and sought refuge with Śumbha, the horned one. Śumbha gathered around him thirty crores of divisions of troops. The great goddess, surrounded by her companions, let out a lion’s roar that echoed across the realms. Seated in an aerial chariot drawn by swans, she held a rosary and a water-pot, radiating fierce power. Encircled by great serpents, she instantly arose as Kuṇḍalinī. From the sage of the gods appeared another, riding the splendid peacock. Bearing the bow Śārṅga and arrows, she manifested, resplendent in her Vaiṣṇavī form. Behind her, Vārāhī arose, standing upon the serpent king Śeṣa. From the circle of her breast emerged Māhendrī, mounted upon the lord of elephants. From her heart sprang Nakhinī, the terribly fierce Nārasiṃhī. The goddess’s great roar filled the three worlds, and the assembled divine powers approached her, offering homage and speaking to Ambikā. At that very moment, from the goddess’s body, Śivā was born. She instructed, “Speak to Śumbha and Niśumbha, if you wish to live. Let Indra regain heaven, and let the gods be freed from distress. Otherwise, if you are proud of your strength, you may choose to fight.” Thus, Nārada, the goddess sent Śiva as her messenger. With a thunderous roar, all the divine powers rushed to the place where Kātyāyanī stood. The two great demons, Śumbha and Niśumbha, began to shower the queen of the gods with sharp spears and massive clubs. Maheśvarī, fierce in battle, struck down other mighty demons with hundreds of arrows. Brāhmī hurled torrents of water, depriving the demons of their power. Kumari wielded the thunderbolt; Indrani attacked with her beak; Vārāhī, in her boar form, struck with the discus. Rudra struck with his trident, and others joined in; Vinayaka attacked with his axe. The demons fell upon the earth, and those beings, devoured by the goddesses, met their destruction. With loosened hair and flashing eyes, terrified, they sought refuge in Raktabija. Driving away the hosts of spirits from all sides, Raktabija entered the battlefield in fury, his lips trembling with rage. Wherever a drop of his blood fell upon the earth, another asura of equal measure was born. The gods cried out, “Drink the blood, O Chandi, quickly, spreading your mouth wide like the consuming fire!” Chandi stood immense, her upper lip touching the sky and her lower lip the earth, clad in hide and skulls. She pierced Raktabija with her trident, and as blood poured from his wounds, she caught it all in her mouth, preventing more demons from arising. She rendered him powerless, shattering him into a hundred pieces with her golden-adorned discus. As the daityas witnessed this, they cried out, “Alas, father! Alas, brother! Where are you going? Stay a moment, come!” Struck down upon the earth by Mridani, the daityas fled in terror, hiding themselves within the great mountain.