As the mighty demon Niśumbha advanced upon the battlefield, the Goddess sounded her bell, its peal resonating with such power that the very twang of her bowstring became unbearably loud. The echo of her bell filled every quarter of the heavens, its reverberation so profound that it sapped the courage from the hearts of the demon armies. Amidst this, her lion let out thunderous roars, their force shaking the sky, the earth, and all ten directions, like a great elephant maddened in rut. Then, Kālī herself leapt up, striking both sky and earth with her hands, and the sound she produced drowned out all other clamor. Śivadūtī added to this tumult with a dreadful, wild, and terrible laugh, so fearsome that the demons trembled, and Śumbha was seized by a furious rage. Amidst the chaos, Ambikā called out, “Stay, you wicked ones, stay!” At her command, the gods stationed in the sky rejoiced and shouted, “Victory!” Śumbha, not to be outdone, unleashed a terrifying power, blazing like a mass of fire as it surged toward the Goddess, but she destroyed it with a great meteor before it could reach her. Śumbha’s lion-like roar then filled the three worlds and all their realms, its dreadful sound conquering all, like thunder rolling across the heavens. The Devi met his attack, cutting down the arrows he released, while Śumbha, in turn, struck down hundreds and thousands of her missiles with his own fierce arrows. Enraged, Chandikā struck Niśumbha with her spear, and the blow sent him crashing unconscious to the ground. Yet, regaining his senses, Niśumbha seized his bow and loosed arrows at the Devi, at Kali, and at the lion. Then, multiplying his arms ten thousandfold, the lord of the demons armed himself with a discus and unleashed a shower of weapons upon Chandikā. But the blessed Durgā, destroyer of all difficulties, was roused to fury. She cut down those discuses and arrows with her own sharp shafts, and Niśumbha, undeterred, seized his mace and, surrounded by his demon army, charged at Chandikā to slay her. As he rushed forward, Caṇḍikā swiftly struck down his mace with her sharp-edged sword, prompting him to seize his spear. Niśumbha, destroyer of the immortals, advanced holding his spear, but Caṇḍikā pierced his heart with her own spear, driving it with great force. From the heart split by her spear, another mighty and powerful being emerged, shouting, “Stop!” The Goddess laughed aloud at this, and with her sword, she severed his head, so that he fell to the ground. All around, the lion tore apart fierce demons with its fangs and claws, while Kālī and Śivadūtī struck down many other asuras. Some great demons, pierced by the spear of Kaumārī, could not move; others were driven away by Brahmāṇī with water sanctified by mantra. Some fell to Māheśvarī’s trident, while others were pulverized on the earth by the blow of Vārāhī’s snout. The Dānavas were cut into pieces by Vaiṣṇavī’s discus, and others were struck down by the thunderbolt hurled from Indrāṇī’s hand. Some asuras fled the battlefield, some vanished altogether, and others were devoured by Kālī, Śivadūtī, and the lion. Upon seeing his beloved brother Niśumbha slain and his army destroyed, Śumbha was consumed by rage and spoke out: “Out of arrogance in your strength, you are wicked—do not, O Durgā, boast! Relying on the power of others, you fight, thinking yourself superior. I alone am here in this world—who else is my equal? See, O wicked one, these are all entering into me; they are my own manifestations!” At his words, all the goddesses, led by Brahmāṇī, merged back into dissolution, and only Ambikā remained. Śumbha continued, “Here, when I have manifested with many forms through my power, I alone remain when all is withdrawn; stand firm in battle.” Thus began a fierce and terrible battle between the Devi and Śumbha, witnessed by all the gods and asuras. Their combat was dreadful, with showers of arrows, sharp weapons, and terrifying missiles, striking fear into all the worlds. Ambikā released hundreds of divine weapons, but the lord of the daityas shattered them with his own counter-missiles. Yet the Supreme Goddess, with ease, broke the divine missiles he released, uttering fierce roars and performing wondrous acts. Śumbha then covered the Goddess with hundreds of arrows, but the enraged Goddess shattered his bow with her own arrows. When his bow was broken, the demon seized a spear, but she cut it too with her discus while it was still in his hand. Not deterred, he took up a sword shining like the sun and adorned with a hundred moons, and rushed at the Goddess. As he approached, Chandikā cut his sword with arrows from her bow, and also his shield, which gleamed like the rays of the sun. She made his horses fall, along with his chariot and charioteer. With his horses slain, bow broken, and charioteer gone, the demon seized a dreadful mace, intent on destroying Ambikā. As he rushed forward, she cut his mace with sharp arrows, yet he still charged at her, raising his fist with great speed. That foremost of asuras struck the Goddess in the heart with his fist, and she, in turn, struck him on the chest with her palm. Struck by the blow of her palm, the king of the asuras fell swiftly to the ground, but, undaunted, he immediately rose up again, ready to continue the battle.