Kumāri, with the force of her spear, struck the mighty demon Raktabīja. At her side, Vārāhī wielded her sword, and Māheśvarī thrust her trident—all their weapons raining upon the great asura. Raktabīja, overwhelmed by wrath, retaliated fiercely, swinging his mace and striking each of the divine Mothers in turn. Yet, as they struck him again and again with spears and other weapons, something terrible happened: every drop of blood that spilled from Raktabīja to the earth gave rise to countless more demons, each as fierce as he. These blood-born asuras quickly multiplied, filling the world and casting the gods into deep fear. Witnessing the gods’ distress, Chandika swiftly turned to Kali and addressed her: “O Chamunda, open your mouth wide! With your swift jaws, receive the demons who are born from the blood that falls from my weapons and from Raktabīja himself. Devour these fierce beings as they arise, for only then will this demon perish—when his blood is spent. Those whom you consume will not return again.” With these words, the goddess struck Raktabīja with her spear once more. Kali, quick and ferocious, caught the gushing blood in her mouth before it could touch the ground. Raktabīja, undeterred, struck Chandika with his mace, but she felt not even the slightest pain. As more blood streamed from his wounds, Kali—Camunda herself—caught every drop, swallowing both the blood and the demons that sprang from it. The goddess pressed her attack, striking Raktabīja—now weakened, his blood consumed—again and again with her trident, discus, arrows, swords, and spears. At last, battered and drained, the great asura fell to the earth, defeated. In that moment, joy surged among the gods, and the host of divine Mothers, intoxicated by the victory and the blood of battle, began to dance in exultation. At this point, the listener, moved by the account, spoke: “O venerable one, you have narrated this marvelous tale—the glorious deeds of the Goddess and the slaying of Raktabīja. Now, I wish to hear what actions Śumbha and Niśumbha, filled with rage, undertook after Raktabīja’s fall.” As Raktabīja lay slain, Śumbha and Niśumbha, along with the other asuras who had survived the battle, were seized by boundless fury. Niśumbha, seeing his great army being destroyed, gathered his chief demon warriors and rushed forward, burning with indignation. Mighty asuras advanced from all directions—front, rear, and flanks—their lips bitten in anger, determined to slay the Goddess. Śumbha himself, a demon of great valor, came at the head of his own forces, intent on destroying Caṇḍikā in his wrath. Battle was joined once more, the Mothers arrayed against the asura hosts. What followed was a battle of unimaginable ferocity. Arrows rained down like the torrents of a storm, filling the sky. Caṇḍikā met the asuras’ volleys with her own, cutting down their shafts and striking the demon lords with a hail of weapons. Niśumbha, seizing a sharp sword and a radiant shield, struck at the lion, the supreme vehicle of the Goddess, aiming for its head. But when his shield and sword were cut down, he hurled a spear at the Goddess. She split it in two with her discus. Enraged, Niśumbha seized a trident, but the Goddess shattered it with a blow of her fist. He then hurled his mace at her, but she reduced it to ashes with her trident. As he advanced with an axe, the Goddess struck him down with a shower of arrows, and Niśumbha, of terrible might, fell to the earth. Seeing his brother fall, Śumbha, consumed with rage, advanced to challenge Ambikā. Standing tall on his chariot, grasping supreme weapons, his eight unmatched arms filled the sky, shining with terrifying brilliance. As he advanced, the Goddess sounded her bell, and the twang of her bowstring was unbearably loud, filling all the quarters with their peal and diminishing the valor of the demon armies. The lion roared mightily, its voice filling the sky, the earth, and all directions, like a maddened elephant in rut. Kali leapt up, striking the sky and earth with her hands, her sound overpowering all others. Śivadūtī let out a dreadful, terrible laugh, and at these sounds, the demons trembled while Śumbha’s rage only grew. Ambikā called out, “Stay, you wicked ones, stay!” and the gods stationed in the sky shouted, “Victory!” Śumbha unleashed a blazing, terrifying power, but as it approached, it was destroyed by a great meteor. Śumbha’s own lion-like roar filled the three worlds and all their realms, thundering mightily. The Devi and Śumbha exchanged volleys of arrows, each cutting down the other’s missiles in a fierce contest. Then Chandika, enraged, struck Śumbha with her spear, and struck by it, he fell unconscious to the ground.