Dhūmralocana, the mighty asura, received a harsh command from his lord, Śumbha: “Go at once, surrounded by your army, and bring that wicked woman here. If she resists, drag her by the hair. And if anyone—immortal, yakṣa, or gandharva—dares to protect her, slay them without hesitation.” Obeying this order, Dhūmralocana swiftly gathered thousands of asuras and marched toward the Devi. Arriving before Ambikā, Dhūmralocana declared, “If you do not willingly approach my master out of affection, I will seize you by force, grasping your hair and causing you distress.” Ambikā, serene and unafraid, replied, “If, sent by the lord of the daityas and backed by force, you take me away against my will, what could I possibly do to you?” Stung by her words, Dhūmralocana rushed at her. But with but a single, thunderous roar, Ambikā reduced him to ashes. Seeing their leader destroyed, the enraged asura army surged forward, but Ambikā unleashed a storm of sharp arrows, spears, and axes upon them. Then, her lion mount, shaking its mane in fury, let out a terrifying roar and leapt into the midst of the asura host. With his mighty paws, the lion struck down some demons; with his gaping mouth, he seized others. Some he killed by clamping them in his powerful jaws, others he tore open with his claws, and with swift blows of his paw, he severed the heads of many. Some asuras, their limbs and heads cleaved from their bodies, fell lifeless, while the lion, shaking his mane, drank the blood from the bellies of others. In but a moment, the Devi’s furious lion had utterly destroyed the entire asura army. When news reached Śumbha that Dhūmralocana had been slain by the Devi and that his entire force had been annihilated by her lion, his lips quivered with rage. Consumed by fury, he summoned the two great asuras, Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa, and commanded, “O Caṇḍa, O Muṇḍa, take your many forces and go at once. Bring that woman here. Seize her by the hair and bind her. If you have any doubt in battle, let all the asuras attack her with every weapon. When she is slain and her lion destroyed, return quickly, having captured Ambikā.” Thus commanded, Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa led a fourfold army, armed with countless weapons, and advanced upon the Devi. There, upon a great golden peak of the king of mountains, they beheld the Goddess, standing above her lion, a gentle smile upon her lips. Seeing her, the asuras readied themselves to seize her, drawing their bows and brandishing their swords, while others closed in. At this, Ambikā’s anger blazed, and from the furrow of her knitted brows sprang forth Kālī, her face black as ink, terrifying to behold. She carried a sword and a noose, bore a strange skull-topped staff, and was adorned with a garland of human heads. Clothed in a tiger skin, her emaciated form struck fear into all. Her mouth was wide, her tongue lolling and fearsome, her eyes sunken and blood-red, and her roar echoed in all directions. Kālī charged into the asura ranks, striking down their warriors and devouring their forces. With a single hand, she seized elephants—complete with riders, hooks, and bells—and hurled them into her mouth. In the same way, she grabbed warriors with their horses, chariots, and charioteers, casting them into her gaping maw and chewing them with her dreadful teeth. She seized some by the hair, others by the neck, pressed some down with her foot, and struck others with her chest. The asuras hurled weapons and missiles at her, but in her wrath, she caught them in her mouth or crushed them with her teeth. She shattered the strength of the evil-minded asuras, devouring some and striking down others. Many fell to her sword, others to her club, and yet more perished, torn by her teeth. In a mere moment, the great asura army was utterly destroyed. Witnessing this, the mighty asura Caṇḍa, seething with rage, rushed at Kālī. At the same time, Muṇḍa unleashed a terrifying shower of arrows and thousands of spinning discus weapons, aiming at the goddess’s face. The discs whirled like countless suns against a dark cloud. With a dreadful roar, her mouth wide and teeth blazing, Kālī laughed fiercely in her wrath. Mounting her great lion, she charged at Caṇḍa, seized him by the hair, and struck off his head with her sword. As his head fell, the lord of the asuras let out a cry so fearsome that the three worlds trembled in terror. Muṇḍa, witnessing Caṇḍa’s fall, attacked in fury, but Kālī struck him down as well, felling him to the ground with her sword. Seeing their leaders slain and their army destroyed, the surviving asuras scattered in fear. Kālī, seizing the heads of both Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa, approached Caṇḍikā. With a fierce, resounding laugh, she presented the grisly trophies to the Goddess, her victory resounding through the heavens and earth.