User blog comment:B214/Question and Answers 4/@comment-24098614-20150214225932/@comment-24502975-20150217005855

Yeah, I agree this is complete speculation so we need to wait for volume 20 and see what happens. My only point was that Maou-class is a status, while High-class and such are statuses and power-rankings. if you're below Maou-class, you're Ultimate-class, while if you're above it you're nearing the God-tier. I'd be a bit disappointed if Belial was only an antagonist in intelligence though. I mean, Maou-level strength is Euclid and Grayfia, if Shalba was at that level and Belial is as easy to defeat as Diodora was...