Rod spent about five minutes giving Katerea a clear understanding of both her own level of strength and the overall power structure of the world.
If anyone else had dared say this to her, Katerea would have branded them a delusional liar on the spot.
But after experiencing Rod's abilities for herself, she had no choice but to believe him.
The problem was that after hearing all of it, her mentality completely collapsed.
She had thought she was Maou-class, only to find out she was merely Ultimate-Class.
She had thought that after using the Infinite Dragon God's power, she had surpassed Maou-class, only to discover she had merely just stepped into it.
Under the current Maou government, both Serafall and Asmodeus were top-tier powerhouses within the Maou-class realm.
To use Rod's words, they were peak Maou-class combatants.
And even after buffing herself, she had only just reached the early Maou-class level, no, not even that. More like pseudo-Maou-class. Her magic power might have reached that level, but her technique and durability were both still below that of a true Maou.
And Sirzechs and Ajuka were two full levels above even them.
That was like a Mid-Class Devil trying to challenge her current self.
How was that any different from a moth flying into a flame?!
"Then what was the point of all these years of enduring humiliation and hardship?"
Katerea slumped back in her chair, the sharpness and pride she once carried now completely gone.
What truly shattered her wasn't the fact that her operation had a one hundred percent chance of failure.
It was the realization that after years of effort, after sacrificing everything, after even borrowing the power of the Infinite Dragon God, she, a legitimate descendant of Leviathan, still wasn't as good as a former pure-blood noble of the Seventy-Two Pillars.
Royal bloodline losing to noble bloodline.
That was the one truth Katerea least wanted to admit, and yet it was still true.
Seeing her like this, Rod realized that if Katerea continued spiraling downward, she might really just give up entirely.
And if that happened, wouldn't his mission fail too?
If it was going to fail anyway, then what was the point of all the effort he'd just put into explaining the power rankings?
With that in mind, Rod said seriously, "You don't need to be this pessimistic. Sure, you're not as strong as Serafall and the others, but your ability to govern a country isn't as good as theirs either."
Katerea broke even harder after hearing that.
Though she had been exiled, she still knew through various channels that the Underworld was now thriving far more than it had in the past.
The most painful kind of personal attack wasn't random abuse from strangers. It was when someone insulted the one area where you genuinely knew you weren't good enough.
Katerea still refused to accept it in her heart. She wanted to believe she wouldn't necessarily do worse than they had.
But then Rod dealt her another direct hit.
"I said that wrong. What I mean is, if the military route won't work, then go with a political one."
"A political one?"
Katerea, and in fact most of the Old Maou faction at present, were part of the hardline militant camp.
Still, even she knew that the military route was impossible now.
If it came to a real fight, Sirzechs alone could probably wipe out the entire Old Maou faction.
Rod said in a matter-of-fact tone, "You can found your own nation here and still continue using the name Leviathan. Then govern it like a normal country, improve people's lives, and in the end, you might even be able to establish diplomatic relations with the current Maou government as a queen."
"Wouldn't that perfectly fit your goals? As long as you found your own country, you would still be Leviathan Maou."
"Found a nation here? But... what I want isn't to build something in this barren place. I want to return to Lilith. That city has always been the capital of the Underworld. Every Maou has always lived there. What does this place even count for?"
"Your vision is too small."
Rod's tone turned solemn.
"H-how?"
Had she said something wrong?
But she hadn't. Lilith was the capital of the Underworld.
Every generation of Maous had indeed been crowned there.
"You keep calling yourself the true Leviathan, but a real Maou does not need symbols to prove who they are. If you truly believe you are the legitimate one, then no matter where you stand, your bloodline remains an unchangeable fact!"
"The place doesn't matter. What matters is whether you believe you are Leviathan."
"Of course I am!"
Katerea was struck directly by those words.
The thing she cared about most was the name Leviathan. If she were already Leviathan Maou of the Underworld, then of course she wouldn't be trying to assassinate the leaders of the Three Factions.
"Then that's enough."
Rod lowered his voice again and smiled faintly.
"So why not try things my way?"
"But would founding a nation here really work? The current Maou government probably wouldn't allow it."
"Why do you need their permission? You're not trying to split the Underworld. You're just starting over from scratch. Besides, you've already been exiled anyway."
Rod spread his hands.
"But if we really founded a nation, would they send troops against us?"
Katerea asked.
"Maybe. But the chances are low. Sirzechs would never approve it."
Rod thought it over for a moment before answering.
The four Maous of the Underworld weren't all of one mind politically.
Of course, this referred only to their political stances. On a personal level, their relationships were fine, but in terms of diplomacy and governance, their views were very different.
Beelzebub Maou Ajuka was extremely rational. To achieve certain things, he was willing to sacrifice some things along the way.
Sirzechs was the exact opposite. If achieving something required sacrificing others, he would never approve such a proposal.
The reason the Old Maou faction had merely been exiled instead of wiped out back then was because Sirzechs and Serafall had shown mercy and refused to exterminate them.
Even in the original story, when the Old Maou faction launched an attack against them, Sirzechs still tried several times to persuade them to withdraw before making a move, telling them they could leave alive if they gave up. And even after he was forced to fight back, he still never sent troops to purge the Old Maou territory afterward.
From that perspective, Sirzechs, as the elder brother-in-law, really was an exceptionally kind man.
If it had been Rod in his place, he probably would have personally wiped the entire Old Maou faction off the map that very same day.
Katerea fell into deep thought, seriously considering the feasibility of Rod's nation-building plan.
"Among the current Maou government, aside from Sirzechs and Ajuka, Serafall has the lowest support among the people. If you can found a nation and produce visible achievements, then perhaps you really could replace her someday. After all, there are still quite a few devils among the common people who lean toward your Old Maou side. And in the end, isn't your real goal to reclaim the position of Leviathan Maou?"
"...Yes."
Katerea nodded faintly.
What she cared about most, without question, was the seat of Leviathan Maou.
As for attacking Heaven, the Fallen Angels, and the other mythological factions before eventually conquering the world, those had always been secondary fantasies at best.
"Can this really work?"
"Absolutely."
Rod smiled at Katerea.
"After all, the only person you can trust right now is me, isn't it? Your other two companions, Creuserey and Shalba, are too shortsighted. And frankly, they're not very bright either."
"...What are you planning to do to them?"
"Nothing at all. But you shouldn't tell them about this either. Right now, the Underworld can only tolerate a second nation founded by an Old Maou, and the last one."
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