Chapter 23: The Algorithm War

Chapter 23: The Algorithm War

The parchment hit Lucius's desk with a sound like a cracking whip.

"FC Roma's Tactical Forecast – 97.3% Accuracy"

Nikias snatched it up, his face draining of color as he read aloud: "Minute 18: Nikias cuts left. Minute 32: Vulso slides near midfield. Minute 67: Lucius substitutes the Vestal acolyte as distraction—"

Vulso's fist shattered the desk. "How?!"

The system's alert pulsed crimson:

[Crisis Level: Critical

Opponent: Lupa Aurea (Decimus's Scholar-Gladiators)

Threat:

- Alexandria's predictive algorithms stolen

- Player movements pre-scripted

- Every match now a rigged spectacle]

Lucius stared at the shattered wood. "They've turned football into a puppet show."

The Lupa Aurea trained at midnight under torchlight, their drills so precise they left geometric patterns in the sand. No laughter. No sweat. Just the *click-click-click* of abacus beads tracking every possible variable.

Lucius watched from the shadows as their captain—a gaunt Sicilian with hollow eyes—demonstrated:

"Probability of Vulso's right hook tackle: 89%. Adjust formation Delta-4."

The players moved like clockwork.

The system's scan was grim:

[Training Observations:

- Reflex tonics enhance reaction speed by 0.3 seconds

- Subdermal bronze mesh (hidden under skin) deflects blows

- Weakness: Their feet always point where they'll pass]

Nikias exhaled sharply. "They're not athletes. They're machines."

At the Temple of Vesta, the high priestess plunged a stolen playbook into sacred flames. The parchment blackened—then revealed lurid purple text beneath.

"Obedience Ink," she hissed. "Absorbed through sweat. Makes players follow the algorithm instinctively."

The system identified the horror:

[Neurotoxin Profile:

- Origin: Library of Alexandria's forbidden archives

- Effect: Suppresses creative decision-making

- Antidote: Vinegar + crushed malachite (why?)]

Claudia grabbed Lucius's arm. "Decimus isn't just cheating. He's rewiring brains."

Two nights before the match, Lucius gathered his team in a torchlit cellar.

"We burn the playbooks," he said, dumping a vat of vinegar onto the floor. "Then we break everything they know."

The plan was insanity:

1. Randomized Roles – Defenders become strikers. Keepers dribble.

2. False Patterns– Deliberately "telegraph" moves, then do the opposite.

3. Sacrificial Plays – Vulso would take a red card to disrupt their models.

The system's prognosis:

[Success Probability: 38%

Casualty Estimate:

- 3 players (minimum)

- 1 referee (likely)

- Nero's patience (already zero)]

Nikias raised a cup of malachite-laced wine. "To chaos."

The Circus Maximus was packed. Senators clutched betting slips. Nero lounged on a throne of captured playbooks.

Then—the whistle blew.

First Half: The Illusion

- Minute 5: Nikias deliberately cut left as predicted—then stopped and recited Homer. Lupa Aureal froze mid-tackle.

- Minute 22:Vulso slid recklessly—past the ball—taking out two scholars on the sideline. The crowd roared.

- Halftime Score: 1-1, but Lupa Aurea's captain was screaming at his abacus.

The system's mid-game alert:

[Opponent Crisis:

- Predictive models collapsing

- Tonic side effects emerging (twitching)

- Decimus is vomiting in the stands]

Second Half: The Storm

Lucius unleashed the madness:

- The Vestal Acolyte ran onto the pitch "by accident," her robes tangling in Lupa Aurea's formation.

- Nikias played goalkeeper, catching a shot with his face and grinning through the blood.

- Vulso scored the winner by throwing the ball into the net from midfield.

Final Score: 3-2.

The scholars collapsed like unstrung puppets.

The patrician lunged onto the pitch, dagger drawn—just as Nero's Praetorians seized him.

"You poisoned my entertainment!"the emperor shrieked, waving a playbook. "The punishment is art!"

Decimus's fate was sealed:

- Exiled to a tiny island with only Lupa Aurea's playbooks for company.

- Forced to listen to Nero's new opera, "Ode to a Broken Algorithm."

- Last Sighted trying to teach probability to seagulls.

At dawn, Lucius stood atop the Campum Ludus, watching Rome awaken.

The system's final alert was triumphant:

[Victory Conditions:

- Predictive Corruption: Purged

- League Sanctity: Restored

- New Age:

- Tactical creativity unleashed

- Plebeian teams demand innovation

- Nero bans math (just in case)]

Nikias joined him, holding two cups of vinegary wine. "To the beautiful game?"

Lucius clinked his cup. "To the unpredictable one."