When people undergo desperate and hopeless situations, they tend to seek refuge in their memories, desires, yearnings, fantasies, or illusions.
This was the case for Allen when subjected to unimaginable psychological torture; he took refuge in his past.
In the end, this saved him, even when he was about to break, the memory of his deceased mother protected him and accomplished something impossible; altering the false memories Sukuna had given him.
Why would Sukuna do something as despicable as that?... The answer is crueler than you think... it's that there's no reason... Sukuna simply wanted to do it, that's how selfish, sadistic, and cruel Ryomen Sukuna is.
...
Sukuna laughed at Allen, ridiculed Allen, and had fun with Allen; it's not that he hated him, he just wanted to mentally break him.
Of course, due to the binding pact between them, Sukuna would be obliged to teach Allen how to use the set of skills he gained from him, but Sukuna didn't care about that.
Sukuna watched with a macabre smile as Allen slowly lost his mind, and it seemed as if everything had ended according to his plan... but...
*Sukuna's POV*
The first thing I thought when I saw him was of Satoru Gojo, but right after that, I realized they were different, both in personality and essence. I can respect someone like Satoru Gojo, even his essence and way of being...
But seeing the white-haired brat, something displeased me... something made me feel a lot of disgust... and as always, I simply decided to destroy him.
...
I soon realized I couldn't kill him in this place. It's a pity... no, wait, maybe I can't kill him, but what if...
HAHAHAHA... I've come up with a way to hurt him to the point of breakdown, ha ha ha...
Death and blood! Death and entrails! Death and destruction! Death and pain! Much pain!!
Let the rivers be dyed red!!
Let Allen witness the worst possible nightmare!!
Let him kill thousands, no, hundreds of thousands with his own hands!!
Let him taste the flavor of fresh blood!!
Let him fall into the most viscous despair!!
Let the corpses be profaned before him!!
Children, women, elders, healthy and sick alike!!!
And then...
...
Everything happened just as I predicted, so much that it was even boring... or so I thought until.
Oh? That girl? Is that your weakness? If it were, you should have gone mad earlier... Is it because she resembles someone? Well, I finally have you, brat...
...
What? Did he stop? Why? How? I should have control over everything that happens...
The brat caressed the girl's head, and she left... then he looked at me... !!!
*End of POV*
Sukuna looked through Allen's eyes and couldn't find any madness or despair... there was no corruption... or stain... after living in blood and death in a massive amount capable of driving everyone else mad, Allen's eyes remained as they were at the beginning...
Sukuna felt uncomfortable... felt annoyed, felt disgusted seeing Allen.
"You're the most disgusting thing I've ever met, Allen Walker..." Sukuna felt like cursing but quickly controlled himself. "You win..."
Allen opened his eyes in surprise at Sukuna admitting defeat, even knowing that he was bound by the binding vow. Allen didn't believe that the King of Curses would keep his promise.
Sukuna shifted from four arms to his two-arm version, cracked his neck, and looked at Allen indifferently.
"Brat, you're the most wasteful bastard I've seen; it's time you learned some control..."
===
As everyone's breath was taken away by the moment Hulk was about to strike Allen, young Walker clasped his hands with the middle and ring fingers straightened and the index and little fingers of both hands closed parallelly.
"Malevolent Kitchen..." time slowed down as Allen's domain expansion appeared.
Domain Expansion: an act against the laws of the world, an act where a sorcerer selfishly, arbitrarily, and profanely declares ownership of a place, imposing their rules and nullifying the world's laws.
In Sukuna's case, the act is even more profane because he doesn't confine his domain to a separate space; he unfolds it shamelessly as if saying, "This place belongs to me, and no one can stop it."
The air changed, anticipating the next move. However, there was someone who didn't care, and that was Hulk, chaos and destruction still surrounded him.
Standing at a short distance, Hulk raised both hands like a hammer to crush Allen.
The world turned black and red as a gruesome Buddhist shrine appeared not far from Allen. Unlike Sukuna's domain, Allen's version didn't have bones as an adornment, yet it was still eerie.
Hulk was about to strike Allen, as many screamed in fear at seeing this, but unexpectedly, one of Hulk's arms detached.
This left everyone in shock...
Sukuna's domain expansion overwhelms his opponent with countless attacks of dismantling and cleave, which are Sukuna's most frequently used techniques.
Allen smiled slightly, but his eyes didn't show happiness or mockery; he seemed more serene at this moment. Considering what happened to gain this power, it's already a miracle that he didn't need therapy.
ROOOOAAARRRRR!
Hulk roared as his arm regenerated. Allen tilted his head in response, and Hulk split into pieces.
While the onlookers discussed what had happened with disbelief and hope, Allen unpleasantly recalled his interactions with Sukuna while he taught him to use his cursed technique.
(Sukuna: first, stop thinking that large-scale destruction is an indicator of power, sure it is, but it's not the only form of power, brat.)
Allen felt uneasy realizing that Sukuna was a better teacher than Gojo. It's unpleasant, but this is because Gojo, being a complete genius, can hardly explain to others how he does things. Luckily, when Gojo taught Allen, he was able to understand most of his teachings due to his own talent... or perhaps past experience?
But it's frustrating that, on the other hand, Sukuna's overwhelming knowledge and high intellect, capable of even copying cursed techniques from others, make him a better teacher when it comes to teaching.
Allen cursed internally but accepted all the knowledge and skills that Sukuna taught him.
Allen vanished to appear in front of Hulk, while the green monster regenerated; in an instant, both actions were completed, and Allen appeared with a hand in Hulk's abdomen.
Hulk screamed, shaking the very space itself, as he prepared to strike again. He was even more furious with Allen for hurting him again and showed it by increasing his power even more. At this point, Allen was no longer able to compete against Hulk head-on.
(Sukuna: Despicable brat, it's not important to have more destructive power than your opponent, but to know how to nullify, influence, deflect, seal, or corrupt their power.)
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH–"
Hulk screamed, but his voice was immediately interrupted as Allen's Malevolent Kitchen cut him into pieces again.
Allen furrowed his brow as he felt how Hulk's gamma radiation behaved within his body; Hulk regenerated even faster as his power increased.
'This is too erratic...' Allen thought, confused, as endless cuts overwhelmed Hulk, turning him into minced meat only for him to regenerate even faster.
(Sukuna: Make ignorance your enemy; even if you are stronger than the other party, find out how your opponent's power works to develop an effective measure.)
Allen felt the urge to kill Sukuna the moment he heard that because he remembered that Sukuna had cut Gojo in half.
Allen withdrew while allowing more and more cuts to attack Hulk. Allen looked at his hand and couldn't understand how it had become that monster; Hulk looked nothing like the one he had seen on the news days ago, so Allen decided to try again.
But at that moment, Hulk appeared by his side and grabbed Allen by the neck. Hulk's overwhelming strength almost crushed his neck, but Allen freed himself using Haki of the king.
"Is this for real?!" Allen dodged death; he was taken by surprise, although he was only momentarily distracted.
Hulk landed on the ground and screamed as the gamma radiation formed a solid energy sphere around him, absurdly blocking Allen's domain.
"This..." Allen observed this from the sky.
Thinking about how Savage Hulk resisted universal destruction, it's not too crazy to think that a domain is not impossible for Hulk to withstand.
"But..." a drop of sweat fell down Allen's cheek as a smile formed. "This is too much cheating, isn't it?..."
===
– Did something happen to Allen?
– Huh?! Of course, something happened! Can't you see the super-powerful and immortal ogre trying to kill him?
– I don't mean that, he looks more serene than before, even though Hulk keeps increasing his power uncontrollably.
===
Dismantle and Cleave cut continuously and so rapidly that it seemed like the ground was disintegrating. But that didn't matter to the monster, who kept advancing towards Allen, covered in gamma radiation.
Allen extended his hand, and a broad-bladed sword formed in his hand, with a cross engraved on the blade. However, don't be mistaken; it didn't have any sacred power or anything like that.
(Sukuna: What a disgraceful bastard, you're so useless that you don't even bother to understand your powers; you just look for a new one every time things get complicated... look at that thing in your hand... are you even using it?... pathetic...)
'Shut up, Sukuna...'
Even if it was just a memory, Allen responded to his memory with annoyance. It was frustrating for him to be scolded by Sukuna's scum. But the most unbearable thing for Allen was that Sukuna was right; he hadn't even learned to use everything he already had and was seeking more power.
"Innocence... breaking the critical point... Crown Saber..." murmured Allen.
Originally, that sword was created to cut evil, but that was nothing more than the desire of a kind-hearted young man. This Allen wanted something different...
Hulk attacked and Allen coated the sword with cursed energy.
(Sukuna: You disgust me... how dare you insult Satoru Gojo by using his techniques with such poor control of cursed energy? Are you underestimating sorcerers, brat?...)
Allen gritted his teeth, and the sword acquired a green aura from the cursed energy. Then Allen used Conqueror's Haki at the same time. Three incompatible energies but in harmony danced on the blade of the sword.
"Hachi (cleave)..." Allen said, lowering the sword.
Hulk was split in half, including his gamma radiation. 'Huh?'
Hulk regenerated again, but Allen noticed something that made him erupt in anger.
"Fury! Are you seeing this?! Use your satellites or whatever to track where Hulk came from!! This abnormal state of Hulk was caused by someone else!!"
Allen dodged Hulk's blow, and Hulk fell to the ground, destroying a large portion of the surface and shaking the United States.
...
"Commander Hill!" Fury shouted furiously. What kind of psychopath would create a monster that puts the whole world in danger?
Without needing orders, she understood and began tracking Hulk's origin. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, it was only a matter of time before they found Ross.
...
"General, your orders?!"
Ross silently stared at the screen. During the fight, he was surprised by the level of destruction caused.
But like a madman far from repenting, he only shouted in fury, saying he was right, and Hulk was a danger not only to the country but to the world.
He immediately called the White House to suggest the use of nuclear weapons against Hulk, and he's currently waiting.
"What do you mean? We are the United States Army, Fury want trouble? nonsense!"
"But won't they find out that it was all caused by us?" the sergeant shivered as he looked into Ross's cruel eyes.
Ross directed his gaze to a woman in a lab coat. "How is the Red Hulk project going?..."
Ross would never admit that he was wrong, and he would never regret his actions; for him, everything he did was for the good of the country, and everything was justified.
"The Red Hulk project has some problems, but... it will be complete soon, sir," the nervous woman replied.
These men and women were loyal to Ross because his figure as a general had always been respected. However, now they realized what General Thaddeus Ross was capable of.
The one who roars while destroying everything might be Hulk, but the real monster is Ross.
...
Allen took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, for now, he knew what to do against Hulk.
"You absorbed that gamma radiation for some reason?" Allen leaned back as the green fist passed over his head, behind Allen, a shockwave traveled dozens of miles, laying waste to everything in its path.
The important thing with cleave is knowing what to divide; Allen had been attacking the wrong place all this time.
(Sukuna: Once you discover the source of your opponent's strength, then comes the fun part, crushing them in the most overwhelming way possible HAHAHAHA.)
Allen gripped the crown saber in his hand and cut Hulk, but this time the flesh was not cut; however, something absolutely impossible happened.
"Ugh..." Hulk complained about the monster that could be disintegrated without showing the slightest pain for the first time... felt pain.
===
A/N: hahaha, come on buddy, the simple answer to the reason and way I wrote the previous chapter is that without that chapter, there would be no point in this chapter, trust me ;3
By the way i've been thinking isn't it strange how sukuna goes from acting like a cruel psychopath to an indifferent sociopath? it seems like they are two different people.