A high-rank demon can not defeat a demon noble, and neither can a new demon noble defeat an old one. This is because of a certain unique ability that noble demons have called ACCUMULATION. It is the ability to store some of your power away, a little at a time, for future use.
It is this ability that makes Salazar certain that he would be able to beat the ominous reaper no matter how special he is. A demon noble gets stronger the longer they have been a demon noble. The little power that they save everyday easily becomes a ridiculous amount when the years go by. The Ominous Reaper is a baby and will never be able to stand up to his ten thousand years of Accumulation as a demon noble.