As the battle raged on, the lion—fierce mount of the Devi—wreaked havoc among the demon hosts. Some asuras fell, their arms and heads severed by his might, while others had their bellies torn open, and the lion, shaking his magnificent mane, drank deeply of their blood. In but a moment, this mighty beast, empowered by the Devi’s fury, annihilated the entire demon army. News of Dhumralocana’s death at the hands of the Devi, and the utter destruction of his forces by her lion, swiftly reached Shumbha, the lord of the asuras. His lips quivered with rage, his heart ablaze with fury. Summoning the two formidable demons, Chanda and Munda, he commanded them with harsh resolve: “O Chanda, O Munda, gather your vast armies and go at once. Seize that woman—bring her here without delay. Grasp her by the hair and bind her fast. If you fear defeat, let all the asuras attack her with every weapon. When that wretched one is slain and her lion destroyed, return quickly, having captured Ambika.” Receiving their orders, the daityas, led by Chanda and Munda, marshaled their fourfold armies and advanced, weapons brandished and spirits high. As they drew near, they beheld the Goddess standing upon a great golden peak of the king of mountains. She stood above her lion, a gentle smile gracing her lips. Intent on their mission, the demons readied their bows and swords, preparing to seize her, while others closed in around her. But Ambika’s countenance darkened with wrath at the sight of these foes. From the furrow of her knitted brows, her face turned as black as ink, and from that furrow sprang forth Kali herself—swift and terrible. Kali emerged, fearsome to behold: her face terrifying, a sword in one hand, a noose in the other. She wielded a strange skull-topped staff, wore a garland of human heads, and was clad in a tiger skin. Emaciated and dreadful, her mouth gaped wide, her lolling tongue struck terror, her sunken eyes blazed blood-red, and her roar shook the very heavens. With ferocious speed, Kali charged into the demon ranks. She seized elephants—complete with riders, hooks, and bells—in a single hand and hurled them into her gaping mouth. Warriors, along with their horses, chariots, and charioteers, she swept up and devoured, chewing them with her fearsome teeth. She grabbed some by the hair, others by the neck, pinned some beneath her foot, and struck others with her chest. Weapons and missiles hurled by the asuras she snatched up in her mouth, crushing them with her teeth in her fury. The power of the asura army was broken. Some she devoured, some she struck down, others she felled with her sword, her club, or the edges of her terrible teeth. In a single moment, the vast asura host was utterly destroyed. Witnessing this devastation, Chanda, filled with rage, advanced upon Kali. Meanwhile, Munda unleashed a terrifying shower of arrows and thousands of spinning discus weapons, aiming them at the earth-eyed Goddess. The whirling discs glimmered like many suns against the darkness of a storm cloud. Then Kali, her mouth wide and teeth blazing, let out a dreadful roar and laughed fiercely in her wrath. Mounting her great lion, she rushed at Chanda, seized him by the hair, and struck off his head with her sword. The fall of Chanda was marked by a cry so fearsome that all three worlds trembled. Munda, seeing Chanda slain, charged at Kali, but she struck him down as well, felling him to the earth with her sword. The remaining demon army, seeing their champions fallen and their forces shattered, scattered in terror. Kali, seizing the heads of both Chanda and Munda, approached Chandika. With a fierce, resounding laugh, she spoke: “Here I have brought you Chanda and Munda, the great beasts, as an offering in this sacrificial battle. You yourself will slay Shumbha and Nishumbha.” Chandika, seeing the heads of the mighty asuras brought before her, spoke gently to Kali: “Because you have brought Chanda and Munda here, from this day forth, O Goddess, you shall be known in the world as Chamunda.” With Chanda and Munda slain, and the demon armies greatly diminished, the lord of the asuras, Shumbha, was overcome by anger and humiliation. Powerful as he was, he commanded the mobilization of all his remaining forces: “Let the eighty-six demon chiefs, the eighty-four commanders of the Kambus, each with their own armies, set out. Let fifty clans of mighty demons and a hundred clans of the Dhaumras march forth. Let the Kalakas, Daurhridas, Mauryas, and Kalakeyas prepare for battle and advance at my order!” Thus commanded by their fierce lord, the asura hosts gathered, thousands of great armies assembling around Shumbha. Seeing this terrifying force advancing, Chandika filled the space between earth and sky with the mighty twang of her bowstring, ready to face the oncoming storm.