Spend King: She Left Me, So I Bought Everything
Chapter 51: The Paladin’s Price

Chapter 51: The Paladin’s Price

The speakeasy door exploded inward, splinters raining over Nishanth’s stolen wine collection.

"Nishanth von Valtros!" A woman’s voice boomed, armored boots crushing glass. "By order of the Holy Treasury, you are hereby sentenced to—"

Nishanth didn’t let her finish. "Zara, steal her sword. Lilith, bill her for the door."

Zara lunged, tail flicking—but the knight blurred, grabbing the raccoon-girl mid-air by the throat.

"Try again," Seraphina snarled, her ice-blue eyes blazing. Her armor gleamed, though the breastplate strained against her voluptuous frame, and her platinum braid whipped like a battle standard.

Lilith’s ledger glowed. "Seraphina D’Liora. Formerly Heaven’s Golden Blade. Currently... unemployed."

The paladin’s grip tightened. "I serve justice. Not paychecks."

Nishanth sighed. "Justice doesn’t pay for this." He snapped his fingers.

The speakeasy’s walls peeled away, revealing a floating arena above the city. Crowds of demons, mercenaries, and bored nobles leaned over balconies, tossing coins.

"Welcome to the Debt Colosseum!" Nishanth spread his arms. "Kill me, and you get my fortune. Lose, and you work for me."

Seraphina dropped Zara. "I don’t bargain with sinners."

"Too bad." Nishanth grinned. "You already took the bait."

[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]

[ NEW CONTRACT ACCEPTED: "SERAPHINA VS. NISHANTH" ]

[ TERMS: Victory = 10,000 holy relics. Loss = Eternal employment. ]

Seraphina attacked like a hurricane. Her sword carved holy light, forcing Nishanth to duck behind Lilith.

"Not my problem!" Lilith hissed, teleporting away.

Zara lobbed a smoke bomb filled with glitter. "C’mon, Golden Girl! Let’s dance!"

Seraphina sliced the smoke—and froze.

Nishanth stood in the open, tossing a golden apple. "Your brother owes me 2 million souls."

The paladin’s blade faltered. "Liar."

"Check Heaven’s ledger. Page 666." Lilith materialized, holding a child’s doll—Seraphina’s niece’s. "Collateral."

Seraphina’s armor hummed with suppressed rage. "You wouldn’t dare."

Nishanth bit the apple. "I’m a businessman. Not a monster." He tossed her a contract. "Work for me, and I’ll erase his debt."

[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]

[ WEAKNESS EXPLOITED: "FAMILY" ]

[ PALADIN RESOLVE: CRACKING ]

Seraphina knelt in the arena, her sword trembling.

"Why?" she whispered.

Nishanth crouched beside her. "Heaven’s using you. Your brother gambled. Your niece pays. I’m the only one offering a choice."

Her ice-blue eyes flickered to Zara (stealing the crowd’s wallets) and Lilith (forging receipts).

"What’s the catch?"

"Wear something less... shiny."

She stood, sheathing her sword. "I keep my armor."

"Deal." Nishanth smirked. "But I’m adding a clause."

He snapped his fingers. Seraphina’s armor reformed—sleeker, blackened steel with golden filigree tracing her curves.

[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]

[ NEW RECRUIT: "SERAPHINA THE FALLEN" ]

[ ABILITY: "Holy Charge" – Debt payments now physically hurt enemies ]

That night, Nishanth found Lilith on his balcony, staring at the city.

"Mammon’s moving," she said. "She’s hired the Blood Coin Mercenaries."

"Let her." Nishanth leaned beside her. "We’ve got Heaven’s blade, Hell’s accountant, and a raccoon."

Zara popped up, dangling a stolen mercenary contract. "And I’ve got their lunch money!"

Seraphina emerged, armor gleaming darkly. "Where do we strike first?"

Nishanth lit a cigar. "The God of Money’s temple. Time to bankrupt a god... again."

The temple wasn’t holy—it was a hedge fund cathedral.

Marble floors ticker-taped stock prices. Stained glass depicted saints swindling peasants. At the altar, a golden statue of the God of Money smirked, holding scales weighted with human hearts.

Zara whistled. "Gaudy. I love it."

Seraphina gripped her sword. "This place reeks of corruption."

"Corruption pays the bills," Lilith said, already forging fake donation slips.

Nishanth cracked his knuckles. "Time to crash another god."

[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]

[ MISSION: "LIQUIDATE HOLY EQUITY" ]

[ REWARD: Divine recession (and a free toaster) ]

They didn’t even make it to the altar.

"Boss! Incoming suckers!" Zara pointed as four armored figures dropped from the ceiling.

Mammon’s mercenaries were unusual:

-A bard strumming a lute made of cursed credit cards.

-A barbarian dual-wielding cash-register axes.

-A rogue whose cloak was stitched from stolen W2 forms.

-A cleric with a holy spreadsheet that glowed with Excel-lence.

The bard winked at Zara. "Hey, trash panda. Wanna duet?"

Zara flipped a knife. "Only if you sing my eulogy."

[ BATTLE START ]

The cleric chanted, "=SUM(Damnation)!", summoning hellfire cells.

Lilith yawned, deleting his formulas with her quill. "Your pivot tables suck."

Zara vs. Bard:

The bard played a chord that shattered gemstones. Zara stole his lute strings, tying him to a column. "Encore this, pretty boy."

Seraphina vs. Barbarian:

The barbarian roared, "CREDIT CRUNCH!", swinging his axes. Seraphina parried, her blackened armor glowing. "Your interest rates are too high." She stabbed him through a tax loophole.

Nishanth vs. Rogue:

The rogue vanished, reappearing behind Nishanth. "Your balance is zero," she hissed, plunging a pen dagger toward his neck—

"Wrong." Nishanth smirked. "I’m leveraged."

A golden chain exploded from his coat, wrapping the rogue. "You work for me now."

[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]

[ NEW EMPLOYEE: "ROGUE (NAME: TAX EVASION)" ]

[ SKILL: "Offshore Dodging" – 50% chance to avoid attacks ]

The statue’s eyes glowed. "NISHANTH. YOU COULD’VE BEEN GREAT."

"I am great," Nishanth said, kicking the altar. "You’re just salty I beat your credit score."

The god’s voice boomed. "JOIN ME. RULE REALITY’S ECONOMY."

A contract appeared:

"Become my heir. Keep 10% of all suffering. Health insurance included."

Lilith snarled. "Don’t you dare—"

Nishanth grabbed Seraphina’s sword and sliced the contract. "I don’t do percentages."

The statue cracked. "THEN PERISH."

The temple began to collapse, golden hellfire consuming everything.

Zara grabbed the rogue. "You! Evade this!"

Tax Evasion sighed. "I’m on break."

The temple’s golden pillars cracked like bad stock portfolios. Zara vaulted over falling debris, her raccoon tail flicking wildly. "Move it, Golden Girl! This place is tanking faster than crypto!"

Seraphina sliced a collapsing archway, her reforged armor glowing as holy and hellish runes clashed. "We need an exit!"

"Already on it!" Lilith snarled, her quill dancing across a scroll. "I’m short-selling the structural integrity!"

The ground beneath them liquefied into quicksand-like gold. Tax Evasion sighed, grabbing Zara’s waist. "Fine. Offshore Dodging activated." They blurred, reappearing on a floating chunk of floor.

Nishanth, meanwhile, stood atop the crumbling altar, yelling at the God of Money’s crumbling statue: "Should’ve diversified your assets!"

A familiar laugh echoed through the chaos. Mammon materialized on a hovering coin, her black lace dress fluttering as she sipped wine from a goblet of molten gold.

"Adorable effort," she purred. "But did you really think one god’s bankruptcy would stop me?"

She snapped her fingers. The collapsing temple froze mid-crumble.

"I’m not here for petty cash," Mammon said, her golden eyes narrowing. "I’m shorting existence itself. Every soul, every realm—all collateral for my ascension."

Lilith hissed. "You’ll crash the multiverse!"

"Crash?" Mammon licked her lips. "I prefer correction."

She tossed Nishanth a blood-red ledger. "Your move, little spender."

Nishanth flipped through the ledger, smirk widening. "You’ve over-leveraged. 200% margin on reality? Amateur."

Zara snatched the book. "Ooh, she’s got a secret account in the Void!"

Seraphina’s sword glowed. "We destroy it."

"Not so fast." Mammon’s shadows lashed out, binding Seraphina. "Your precious niece? She’s my insurance policy."

A hologram flashed: A blonde girl in a celestial cage, clutching a stuffed griffin. Seraphina froze. "Evelyn..."

"Tick-tock," Mammon sang, vanishing.

Back at the speakeasy, Tax Evasion nursed a margarita. "So,we’re rescuing a kid now? Do I get hazard pay?"

Nishanth ignored her, spreading a map across the bar. "The Void Vault. Where Mammon stashes her real wealth."

Zara grinned. "Heist time!"

Lilith traced a claw over the map. "It’s guarded by Karmic Creditors—they’ll repo your soul for late payments."

Seraphina stood, her armor clinking. "I’ll lead the charge."

"No," Nishanth said. "You’ll distract them. Zara steals the vault key. Lilith hacks the karmic ledgers. And me?" He tossed a hellcoin. "I’ll negotiate their early retirement."

[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]

[ NEW QUEST: "Void Vault Heist" ]

[ REWARD: Mammon’s tears (and saving reality) ]

The Void Vault wasn’t a place—it was a tax nightmare made real.

Endless rows of floating filing cabinets stretched into oblivion. Ghostly accountants wailed as they calculated infinite debts. At the center loomed a black hole chained with interest rates, sucking in anything that missed a payment.

Zara whistled. "Cozy. Reminds me of my ex’s apartment."

Lilith flicked her quill, scanning the void. "Karmic Creditors at 3 o’clock. Try not to die."

Three figures materialized:

A Creditor with a calculator for a head („Interest Rate: 1000%").

A Repo Reaper holding a scythe made of eviction notices.

A Guilt Golem, its body molded from broken promises.

Seraphina tightened her grip on her sword. "Distraction. Right." She charged, shouting: "HEAVEN’S IRS SENT ME! AUDIT THEM ALL!"

The Creditors turned, hissing.

[ LET THE HEIST BEGIN ]

Zara slinked toward the Calculator Creditor, tail swishing. "Hey, handsome. Wanna... calculate my curves?"

The Creditor’s screen flashed: "ERROR: FLIRT DETECTED. INITIATING LIEN PROTOCOL."

"Oh crap," Zara yelped as math equations shot toward her. She backflipped, stealing a "Tax Evasion Shield" from a screaming ghost. "Worth a shot!"

Nishanth tossed her a diamond. "Stick to stealing, not seducing."

"But I’m good at both!" She lobbed the diamond into the Creditor’s CPU, fryiong it.

[ KARMA BALANCE: ZARA +1, CREDITOR -1 (TERMINATED) ]

[

Lilith hacked the Karmic Ledger, her claws flying. "Mammon’s logs are encrypted with selfies?"

The screen showed Mammon posing on a throne of skulls, captioned: "#QueenOfGreed #NoFilter."

"Vanity’s the key," Lilith smirked. She uploaded a deepfake of Mammon tripping over her cape.

The vault shuddered. "INTRUDER ALERT: SELF-ESTEEM BREACHED."

Mammon’s scream echoed through the void. "DELETE THAT!"

[ SYSTEM WEAKNESS EXPLOITED: VANITY ]

[ VAULT SECURITY: DOWN 69% ]

The Guilt Golem morphed into Seraphina’s brother, clutching her niece’s doll. "You abandoned us," it wept.

Seraphina froze, sword trembling. "I... I had no choice."

"LIES," the Golem roared, swelling with her regrets. "YOU CHOSE MONEY OVER FAMILY!"

Nishanth appeared, tossing a debt-forgiveness scroll. "Wrong. She chose your family over hers."

The scroll burned the Golem to ash, revealing Seraphina’s brother’s true memory—begging her to save herself.

[ PALADIN’S RESOLVE RESTORED: GUILT INVALIDATED ]

Mammon materialized, shadows boiling. "YOU’LL NEVER FIND MY—"

Nishanth held up a USB labeled "Mammon’s Search History". "Blackmail beats bankruptcy. Leave reality alone, or the multiverse sees you binge-watching rom-coms."

Mammon’s golden face flushed. "You wouldn’t."

"Try me."

She snarled, dissolving into the void. "THIS ISN’T OVER!"

[ VAULT OWNERSHIP TRANSFERRED: "NISHANTH & CO." ]

Back at the speakeasy, Tax Evasion mixed drinks. "So... we’re rich?"

"Richer," Nishanth said, holding a glowing "Deed to Existence".

Zara stole the deed. "I’ll frame it!"

Seraphina quietly polished her sword until Lilith nudged her. "You did... adequate."

"High praise from hell," Seraphina snorted.

Nishanth watched them, smirking. "Next stop: bankrupting Time itself."

[ TO BE CONTINUED ]