Sweeping strikes

Realistically speaking cleaving through your targets makes little sense except in some very specific cases. For example, if the target is armored, the weapon should stop upon hitting it. Cleaving through should only happen if you manage to cut/tear through the previous target, which obviously would mean quite horrendously fatal wound for them (directly or via the massive bleeding caused by it). Slicing unarmored targets is possible with bladed weapons (like swords, but not as easily with things like axes) though but is hardly ever limited to them.

Generally speaking, this exists in games only to aid in making them feel more epic.

Related:
* Penetrating projectiles